Beat Magazine #1322 by Furst Media

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Bookings: ticketek.com.au

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NEW ALBUM OUT NOW FEAT. ‘BLACK WHITE & BLUE’ & ‘SUNDAY DRIVE’

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BRING LADYHAWKE TO LIFE

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IN THIS ISSUE...

HOT TALK

TOURING

LADYHAWKE

ARTS GUIDE, GIVEAWAY, WOODY ALLEN, THE ARCHITECT AND THE PAINTER

ART OF THE CITY THE COMIC STRIP

MOONSHADOW

AUSTRALIAN BURLESQUE FESTIVAL

VA VA BOOMBAH

SLASH

BEAT EATS

INDUSTRIAL

OFF - BEAT JAZZ SPECIAL BENNETTS LANE

JOSE JAMES P. 46

DEEP SEA ARCADE P. 53

JOSE JAMES

AMERICAN SONGBOOK

ACMI - JAZZ ON FILM ALBARE VENUE LISTING

GRAVEYARD TRAIN

LIZ STRINGER THOMAS OLIVER BAND ASH GRUNWALD

DEEP SEA ARCADE

DEF FX

CORE/CRUNCH!

MUSIC NEWS

ALBUM OF THE WEEK, SINGLES CHARTS

THIS WEEK IN 100%:

NIK FISH

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PUBLISHER: Furst Media Pty Ltd. MUSIC EDITOR: Taryn Stenvei ARTS EDITOR / ASSOCIATE MUSIC EDITOR: Tyson Wray EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Nick Taras SUB-EDITORS: Krystal Maynard, Michelle Aquilina, Penny Coulson, Jac Manuell GENERAL MANAGER: Patrick Carr SENIOR ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR: Ronnit Sternfein BEAT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Pat O’Neil GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Pat O’Neil, Rebecca Houlden, Gill Tucker, Mike Cusack COVER ART: Pat O’Neil ADVERTISING: Taryn Stenvei (Music: Bands/Tours/Record Labels) taryn@beat.com.au Ronnit Sternfein (100%/Beat/Arts/Education/Ad Agency) ronnit@beat.com.au Aleksei Plinte (Backstage/ Musical Equipment) mixdown@beat.com.au Adam Morgan (Hospitality/Bars) adam@beat.com.au Kris Furst (beat.com.au) kris@furstmedia.com.au 0431 243 808 Jessica Riley(Indie Bands/Special Features) jessica@furstmedia.com.au CLASSIFIEDS: classiﬁeds@beat.com.au GIG GUIDE SUBMISSIONS: now online at www.beat.com.au or bands email gigguide@beat.com.au ELECTRONIC EDITOR - BEAT ONLINE: Paddington Wray: tyson@beat.com.au

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SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS: Christine Lan, Simone Ubaldi, Patrick Emery, Jesse Shrock. COLUMNISTS: Emily Kelly, Peter Hodgson. CONTRIBUTORS: Tyson Wray, Adam Baidawi, Helen Barradell, Matt Bendall, Cam Binger, Graham Blackley, Chris Bright, Rose Callaghan, Adam Camilleri, Paige Cho, Stefan Chrisp, Nick Clarke, Talitha Conway, Dave Dawson, John Donaldson, Justin Donnelly, Georgia Doyle, Cam Ewart, Paul Fischer, Lawson Fletcher, Jack Franklin, Chris Girdler, Sean Gleeson, Aleisha Hall, Louise Hardwick, Daniel Hedger, Nick Hilton, Lyndon Horsburgh, Briony Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Cassandra Kiely, Greg King, Joshua Kloke, Stuart Lynch, Rhys McCrae, Ruth McIver, Adam McKenzie, Kylie McLaughlin, Nick Mason, Tyler Mathes, Krystal Maynard, Anna Megalogenis, Al Newstead, James Nicoli, John O’Rourke, Matt Panag, Jack Parsons, Liam Pieper, Steve Phillips, David Prescott-Steed, James Ridley, Gav Ross, Leigh Salter, Tim Scott, Denis Semchenko, Side Man, Matt Sutherland, Lin Tan, Steve Tauschke, Brigitte Trobbiani, Rene Schaefer, Melanie Sheridan, Jeremy Sheaﬀe, Kelly Theobald, Andrew Tijs, Alistair Wallis, Etienne Waring, Dan Watt, Rod Whitﬁeld, Katie Weiss, Tom Whitty, Cara Williams, Simon Williamson, Bronius Zumeris. © 2012 Furst Media Pty Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holder.

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FREE SHIT

THE AFGHAN WHIGS Well thank the good lord Paddington, a mere 25 years after their first gig, The Afghan Whigs are finally coming to Australia for the first time. The recently reformed Whigs first began in Cincinnati in 1986 and became one of the most acclaimed alternative bands of the early ‘90s, developing a dedicated cult following. Playing material from across their catalogue including the seminal albums Congregation and Gentlemen, their Australian performances are not to be missed. Alongside appearung at Splendour In The Grass 2012 they’ll also be hitting The Hi-Fi on Wednesday July 25. We’ve got three double passes to giveaway. Clickety-clack (don’t take smack) onto beat.com.au/ freeshit for your chance to win.

BLACK CAB Yah Yah’s is thrilled to have Black Cab’s ﬁrst show for 2012 on Queen’s Birthday Eve, Sunday June 10. The band will be debuting material from their forthcoming album Fourth as well as unveiling a new extended lineup. Joining them will be the incredible Baptism Of Uzi and Humans, the new Alan Vega inspired electronic project for Chris Chapple and the Spoils’ Sean Simmons. Doors at 5pm with bands kicking oﬀ at 9pm, $12 entry, tickets only available on the door.

EIGHT MILES HIGH

BONJAH

The inaugural Melbourne instalment of the Eight Miles High mini-festival, a celebration of psychedelic, '60s, surf, shoegaze and garage pop is here once again. Selected bands are both ones that we love, and that are doing something great. The Demon Parade blend the heady sounds of ‘70s psychedelia with the (slightly) more contemporary drive of UK bands such as The Verve and The Stone Roses. Sydney’s contribution to the show is Sister Jane, who blends ‘60s blues and ‘70s psychedelic rock to produce a distinctive sound, their debut album Mercy showcases the band’s undoubted songwriting talents. Lowtide bring all of the good parts of shoe gaze with slight grunge undertones. Among Melbourne’s current crop of psych bands, Buried Feather have carved out a name for themselves. And rounding out the bill are Flyying Colours, whose low-ﬁ, reverbed vocals recall early Flying Nun bands with a slightly noisier, splashy shoe gaze grind, followed b DJs Andrew Coates (Black Cab) and Wes Holland (Sand Pebbles). Get along to Yah Yah’s on Saturday June 16. Tickets are on sale now from Moshtix, and are strictly limited for $20, with doors opening at 7.30pm.

Bonjah have announced they are recording their ﬁnal headline show of 2012 at The Corner on Friday June 8 for a forthcoming live EP release. You can own the recording for free simply by purchasing a pre-sale ticket. The band are oﬀ to the UK and Germany for a festival and showcases in June before they lock themselves away to write and record album number three. Bonjah are also proud to announce they are supporting Make-A-Wish Australia, where $1 from every ticket sold to the show is being donated to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Tickets are selling fast, so get in early. Support is from acclaimed bands Buckley Ward, Mitch Davis, and Dawn Chorus.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT One of the most consistently enthralling entertainers of our era has announced his return to Australia, visiting our most suitably grand theatres in the process. Hailing from a musical dynasty, Rufus Wainwright has earned a fervent fanbase worldwide with his irresistible croon and champagne showmanship. His upcoming tour will showcase the stunning vocalist replete with a full band, taking to what will be the freshly reopened Hamer Hall. Rufus Wainwright performs at Hamer Hall on Saturday September 15. Tickets through the Arts Centre from 11am on Tuesday June 5.

f r o n t s p a c e 212a Whitehall St

EVERCLEAR Everclear, one of the giants of ‘90s guitar-pop, have announced an 2012 Australian tour – their ﬁrst visit to our shores in over 14 years. Everclear broke through and took over radiowaves with the dark-edged guitar anthems, earning them an adoring global fanbase. The band’s current lineup consists of the ever-present mastermind Art Alexakis, along with David French on guitar, Freddy Herrera on bass, Josh Crawley on keys and Sean Winchester on drums. A brand new Everclear album titled Invisible Stars is planned for release later in 2012. Everclear hit The Hi-Fi on Saturday October 13. Regurgitator

Ya r r a v i l l e

Ph 9687 0233 www.kindredstudios.com.au Friday 1st June O P E N

F R O M

7 P M

RIPON OPEN STUDIO #4

BENEFIT FOR BLACKIE

R E C O R D L I V E O N S TA G E $ 2 0 A C D

As you may have heard, Hard-Ons legend Peter Black was recently bashed by a (since-apprehended) pair of teenagers, leaving Blackie with a skull fracture and swelling of the brain. After a planned Sydney HardOns show turned into a benefit for Blackie, a massive roster of talent will take to The Tote to pass the hat around for the much-adored musical figure. And when we say a massive roster of talent, we mean a massive roster of talent. Hitting The Tote for Blackie will be Regurgitator, The Meanies, The Spazzys, Dead and Bat Piss.And if that epic lineup isn’t enough to get you down to The Tote, keep in mind all proceeds from the evening will go towards Blackie. Benefit For Blackie takes place at The Tote on Saturday June 9. Tickets available at Oztix from Monday May 28.

Saturday 2nd June

WEST SIDE PARTY! KIDS OF ZOO + BAD VISION + DAMN THE TORPEDOS + THE KREMLINGS

Sunday 3rd June e r n e s t .

s t u d i o

p r e s e n t s

TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT SIGN UP 1- 3PM

GAME ON 3PM

F U L L

B A R

Saturday 9th June O P E N

F R O M

7 . 3 0 P M

GITANJALI & MAETREYA F R O M

P U R U S H A

WITH LAMA TENDAR, GYOTO TANTRIC CHANT MASTER

Sunday 10th June F R O M

1 0 A M

3 P M

SOUND HEALING WORKSHOP WITH GITANJALI & MAETRYA

w w w . p u r u s h a . c o m . a u w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / k i n d r e d s t u d i o s Beat Magazine Page 12

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BILLY TALENT Billy Talent arrived with a Mac Truck full of complex riffs and fret board wizardry into the lounge room of three chord pop punk. Their debut was a phenomenon and now three albums full of big-rock structures and powerful chorus hooks have propelled Billy Talent into mainstream success and solidified their status as one of Canada’s greatest band. Having skipped Australia on their last album due to a crushing tour schedule, the band wanted to make sure that we are one of the very first places that they visit on their upcoming World tour. Expect a massive one when they crash into Billboard on Sunday August 12. Tickets on sale this Friday June 1.

AREA 7 Q&A THE SCARLETS

Define your genre in five words or less: Skankin’, punkin’, rockin’ and sweatin’. What do you love about making music? Having fun with a bunch of mates. Its’ all about the good times and it’s way too ﬁckle an industry to be worried about the business side of things. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? Jim Morrison – pretentious try hard wannabe.

HOT TALK

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What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Melbourne – what an amazing city. Not quite what it used to be, but when I was a kid going to see bands at The Espy, The Tote, The Punters Club and The Evelyn all in one weekend was almost a religion. What makes you happiest about what you’re doing? That we’ve been together so long and we’re all still really good mates and still enjoy the music.

What can a punter expect from your live show? A very soggy t-shirt at the end of the night from skanin’ so much!

Describe the best gig you have ever played. Headlining St Kilda Festival in (I think) 2001. Mental As Anything supported (heroes of ours), it was daylight when we started and night time when we ended. Over 10,000 enthusiastic punters pumping their ﬁsts in the air!

When’s the gig and with who? Saturday June 9, and it’s with a tonne of bands, however my favourite band on the bill is The Bennies. Perhaps the most underrated band in Australia right now.

What’s the strangest place you’ve ever played a gig, or made a recording? Probably to a bunch of East Timorese kids on a UN base in East Timor during war time. Pretty damn cool though!

So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, they then go get a beer and tell their friend about you... what do they say? I didn’t realise they were the band that played that song.

Where would you like to be in five years? Exactly where I am now. In Melbourne, loving life with my friends and family.

How long have you been gigging and writing? An eternity. We formed in 1994 – been doing originals the whole time. Now I feel old.

Do you have a pre-gig ritual? If so, what is it? Not really. I do a lot of chromatic warm ups on my axe, otherwise I can cramp up. We’re actually pretty fast and it can really get to you after a while.

Which band would you most like to have a battle/ showdown with? Frenzal Rhomb, because they’d put up a ﬁght but we’d win...That’s a challenge boys!

What advice would you give to bands that are new on the Melbourne music scene? Play as many shows as you can. Travel to other cities as much as you can. Have fun! Ska Weekender happens at The Evelyn Hotel on Saturday 9

THE RUBENS The Rubens, one of the country’s most talented rising collectives, have announced a headline show in Melbourne ahead of their appearance at this year’s Splendour In The Grass. Forming in New South Wales last year, The Rubens have gone on to attract tangible levels of buzz in 2012 – resulting in sold-out shows across the country. The pre-Splendour tour will celebrate the release of their new single, Don’t Ever Want To Be Found. The Rubens have also announced that their debut record will be released this September on the esteemed IVy League Records. The Rubens hit The Corner on Thursday July 12.

QUEENSCLIFF WINTER WARMUP Winter is coming. Not only is the weather getting a little bit shit, it also means that there is a little bit of a dearth when it comes to music festivals. But fear not, Queenscliff is here to heat you up with a little festival sampler to ease the winter blues. Warming up Queenscliff this July will be the red-hot lineup of Clairy Browne And The Bangin’ Rackettes, Electric Empire, Chase The Sun, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard and DJ Vince Peach. With a lineup like that, you’re pretty much guaranteed to generate enough heat to get you through to the festival season proper. Queenscliff Winter Warmup takes place at Point Lonsdale School Hall on Saturday July 7. Tickets onsale now.

CALL THE COPS To put it simply, Call The Cops is a group of friends throwing a wild party in Melbourne (and in Sydney too) and Melbourne the weekend before their bender continues at Splendour In The Grass where all three acts are playing. Yacht Club DJs, DZ Deathrays and Bleeding Knees Club will come together to cause a raucous at Corner Hotel in Melbourne this Thursday July 19, before heading interstate. Over the past few years Gareth Harrison and Guy Chappell-Lawrence have earned their reputation as Australia’s premier mash-up act as the sweaty maniacs behind Yacht Club DJs. Their third and most recent mixtape, They Mostly Come At Night…Mostly, catapulted them onto their biggest national tour yet, with another sell-out. Having recently released their debut album Bloodstreams, DZ Deathrays have enjoyed much critical acclaim and left fans across the world more than satisfied. The Brisbane duo has been constantly named an act to watch this year by well-respected music advocators, they have just completed an extremely successful Australian tour and are currently tearing through a European headline tour before they head to the USA and Canada to tour. Wrapping up the three-way headliner lineup will be the fresh faced surf-punk duo Bleeding Knees Club. The two friends recently completed a national headline tour after releasing their sun-soaked debut album Nothing To Do. Finally as something a little bit different the three acts will be selling a tour EP available only at the Call The Cops shows which will feature a DZ Deathrays track, Bleeding Knees Club track and Yacht Club DJs remixes of both BKC and DZ. Tickets are on sale now from the Corner Box Office for $22+bf, or $25 on the door.

WINTER BALL The exceedingly popular Winter Ball, hosted by Charles Jenkins & The Zhivagos, had locked in its 2012 date at The Corner. Now we can wrap our eyes around the very tasty ﬁrst lineup announcement. The ﬁrst round of artists includes Melbourne soul queen Suzannah Espie, rock’n’roller Joel Silbersher, the fabulously dreamy Orbweavers, new kid Alex Lashlie, surf western genius Mikelangelo, stunning chanteuse Ms Angie Hart, the ever debonair Jon Von Goes, luxe lady Linda Dacio, bourbon balladeer Cash Savage and the brilliant Pony Face. And guess what? There’s still more to come! Stay tuned for more announcements. The Winter Ball will be held at the Corner Hotel on Saturday July 21. CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU

Beat Magazine Page 13

HOT TALK

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THIS EPIC TOUR So, a bunch of our favourite local bands are teaming up and taking the eastward states by storm. The three-headed assault machine consists of Melbourne rock maestros Kingswood, Money For Rope and Damn Terran, all emerging at once from the primordial ooze to take their rock largesse to the good people. With all three bands basking in the success of their latest single releases, the shows, which will kick oﬀ with a massive one-two attack at Melbourne’s Workers Club on Thursday June 28 and Friday June 29, will be nothing short of explosive. Get in early to assure your seats ringside.

EARTH The Seattle drone doom outfit Earth will be making very first performances on Australian shores this September. Earth formed in 1990 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson. Mostly instrumental, their early work grew out of the Seattle area grunge scene and is recognised as pioneering the genre of drone doom – an experimental offshoot of doom metal, characterised by droning, minimalist, lengthy and repetitive structures. Their early albums could be seen as a variation of the experimental doom-influenced metal of The Melvins. They now feature a markedly different sound, slow-paced and lengthy featuring strong elements of country music and jazz and the addition of a drummer. Earth are heartfelt, haunting and deliver slow moving music that stretches into other worlds. Earth play The Toff In Town on Wednesday September 12 and the Corner Hotel on Sunday September 16.

THE GOOD SHIP The Good Ship are stoked to announce the release of their second album O’ Exquisite Corpse, a work of dark, sweaty, heaving beauty, featuring the band’s trademark blend of sweet melodies and debauched lyrics. The Good Ship have created an album steeped in rich harmonies and lush instrumentation, all the while retaining the shambolic glory of their live show, and lucky for us, they’re bringing it on the road, playing the Northcote Social Club on Friday July 6 with The Bon Scotts and The Stillsons.

MIKE NOGA

ABBIE CARDWELL The golden days of the ‘50s may be long gone but Fortunately, for fans of the era’s fashion and rockabilly, Abbie Cardwell and Her Leading Men are bringing their unique, rootsy-rockabilly-twang to The Prince Of Wales a string of shows throughout June. Cardwell, who recently featured on popular television series, The Voice, will perform complete a month long residency at the Public Bar as part of its launch as a local live music hot spot. Playing banjo, guitar, ukulele and harmonica the multi-talented songstress produces an honest brand of heart-felt music has left audiences around Australia begging for more. Catch Cardwell and Her Leading Men as the play The Prince Of Wales Public Bar on Saturday June 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 9.30pm. Entry is free. Beat Magazine Page 14

After the release of his critically acclaimed second album The Balladeer Hunter last year, and following shows throughout Australia and Europe with Band of Horses, Okkervil River, Paul Dempsey, Glenn Richards and more, Drones drummer Mike Noga packed up shop and has spent the last five months in London, England, entertaining the Brits and writing his next record. The as-yet untitled album is due to be released later this year, but in the meantime Mike is returning home for a special, one-off headline show at the Northcote Social Club on Saturday June 30, his first show in a year. Mike and his band will be presenting songs from The Balladeer Hunter and more with very special guests to be announced soon.

YUNG WARRIORS Yung Warriors are Australia’s fastest rising Indigenous hip hop outfit. Fresh off the back of dates with American hip hop heavyweights D12 and recent US showcase’s in NY & LA, Yung Warriors have just released their second album Standing Strong, out now through Payback Records/Shock. Yung Warriors is brothers Tjimba and D Boy, who hail from a long line of proud indigenous ancestry. Their maternal grandfather is Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, one of the most collected and renowned of Australian Aboriginal artists. Outside the studio Yung Warriors continue to actively support their community and lift the standards of the indigenous hip hop movement. Referred to in some circles as “Australia’s leading Indigenous and cultural music ambassadors”, these titles don’t come easy, and the Yung Warriors don’t wear it lightly. As Tjimba says, hence the name of the album, its Yung Warriors message to their young people; “Keep your head up and if you’re doing your thing, don’t let people pull you down, just stand strong”. Word. They’re gearing up for a huge 2012, including headline shows at The Workers Club on Saturday June 16 and The Laundry on Friday July 13, plus playing at Trak with The Outlaws on Friday June 15.

PUNCH BROTHERS Critically acclaimed American band Punch Brothers will arrive in Australia in August for their ﬁrst ever visit. Punch Brothers combine indie rock, folk, jazz, bluegrass, and classical music in a sound that is unprecedented and inspiring. Unbound by notions of genre, their collaborative, porous approach to music making results in an extraordinary dynamic performance, laced with breathless motion and humour. On their inaugural visit to Australia, Punch Brothers will perform at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Monday August 6 with tickets via the venue website.

GANGA GIRI Melbourne-based Ganga Giri and his ensemble will be bringing their “rhythmic didgeridoo explosion” to the Esplande Hotel’s front bar for a night. Creating a contemporary mix of ‘’fat dub beats’’ and dancehall vibes, Gangra Giri acheives an “electronic global roots celebration” to brings people together in a modern corroboree. Joining Ganga Giri on stage will be French Guyanan singer, as well as celebrator Jornick whose rich reggae dub dancehall vocals fuse seamlessly wit Ganga Giri’s world music sounds and powerful tribal percussion. This will also be Ganga Giri’s last show in Australia before taking oﬀ to tour the US. Ganga Giri will be performing in the Espy front bar on Saturday June 16. Entry is free.

THE STORY SO FAR The Story So Far will delve deep into the minds and lives of some of this country’s finest musicians with an entertaining live chat show and performances of songs that have shaped their careers. Engaging, enlightening and audibly delicious, The Story So Far is the perfect way to spend a chilly winter Sunday. Hosts Sunny Leunig and 3RRR’s Jacinta Parsons will take you on a ride to uncover what has inspired and continues to inspire some of our most diverse local talents, with Chapter One kicking off on Sunday July 1 at 3pm with Kim Salmon and Angie Hart. It happens at The Bella Union and there’s a truly awesome spread of artists coming up like Tim Rogers, Pikelet and Dan Kelly. Head to facebook.com/ thestorysofarmelbourne for full schedule.

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DEEP SEA ARCADE TIGERTOWN Sydney-based Tigertown hit the ground running in 2011, delivering an outstanding debut EP and captivating live show to introduce their lush, melodic music to the world. The band is proud to deliver their latest single oﬀering Lions And Witches on their Age Of Winter tour, which checks in to Pure Pop Records on Saturday June 16 (from 5pm), then The Workers Club on Sunday June 17.

Good news for Deep Sea Arcade fans. The band have just announced a second Melbourne show to take place on Sunday June 10 at Phoenix Public House. The boys will hit the road this June on a massive national tour to celebrate the release of their debut album Outlands. The album has already been a hit with fans and critics alike with the record getting plenty of love from the likes of triple j, Fasterlouder and Radar among many others. After supporting some huge names including Children Collide and Kaiser Chiefs, the band are more than ready to do some headlining of their own. Catch Deep Sea Arcade and supports The Cairos and Woe & Flutter as they rock the Phoenix Public House for a second time, tickets available through Moshtix.

SECRET SOUNDS PRESENTS

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS OCEANIA TOUR

OLIVER TANK Continuing to take on the world, Oliver Tank is currently in the UK to perform at The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City, with extra shows around the UK thrown in for good measure. In between the madness he will also be dropping into XFM’s London studio to record a live session. 2012 has kicked oﬀ with a bang, having already supported Active Child, Youth Lagoon, Bonobo and Megan Washington. After sold out shows supporting the release of his debut EP Dreams back in February this year, Oliver Tank is celebrating his homecoming with two special shows at The Northcote Social Club. The show on Thursday June 21 is now soldout but the second has been announced for Wednesday June 20.

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

WOLFMOTHER

NANTES The distinctive sound of Sydney outfit Nantes was firmly established throughout 2011 after the band delivered an acclaimed debut EP and toured relentlessly throughout the country. Now, after an onslaught of successes over the last 12 months, the band have announced the release of their latest single Unsatisfy, and accompanying video clip, and the Satisfy The Unsatisfied Tour, which reaches the Workers Club on Friday June 15.

THURSDAY 2 AUGUST HISENSE ARENA TICKETS: TICKETEK.COM.AU 132 849

TICKETS ON SALE NOW ALBUM OUT 22 JUNE secret-sounds.com.au smashingpumpkins.com

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Beat Magazine Page 15

TOURING

WHO'S ON TOUR, WHERE AND WHEN

PROUDLY PRESENTS:

For all the latest touring news check out beat.com.au

INTERNATIONAL LIGHT ASYLUM Phoenix Public House June 1 SIMPLE PLAN Festival Hall June 2 ZOLA JESUS The Toﬀ In Town June 2, June 3 ALBARE Melbourne Recital Centre June 5 SISTER SLEDGE The Hi-Fi June 7 REEF Billboard June 8 EAST 17 Trak June 8 TRAIN The Palais June 9 MARK KOZELEK The Toﬀ In Town June 9, Phoenix Public House June 11 THE BLACK SEEDS Corner Hotel June 12, 15 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS The Hi-Fi June 21 LIL’ BAND O’ GOLD The Regal Ballroom June 27, 27, The Espy June 29 LADY GAGA Rod Laver Arena June 27, 28, 30, July 1, 3 EDDIE SPAGHETTI Cherry Bar June 30 FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS The Plenary July 14 I AM GIANT The Workers Club July 5 GOATWHORE Corner Hotel July 6 SIMONE FELICE The Corner Hotel July 11 KINGFISHA The Thornbury Theatre July 13 THE TEA PARTY The Palais Theatre July 14 MELISSA ETHERIDGE The Plenary July 15 THE SHINS Festival Hall July 23 LANA DEL REY Palace Theatre July 23, 24 HOWLER, ZULU WINTER The Corner Hotel July 24 THE AFGHAN WHIGS The Hi-Fi July 25 FRIENDS Northcote Social Club July 25 MICHAEL KIWANUKA & BEN HOWARD The Corner Hotel July 25 JACK WHITE Festival Hall July 25 BAND OF SKULLS The Corner Hotel July 26 FUN. The Hi-Fi July 27 METRIC Billboard July 27 MUDHONEY The Corner Hotel July 27 FATHER JOHN MISTY The Corner Hotel July 28 SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS Belongil Fields Byron Bay July 27 – 29 YOUTH LAGOON The Corner Hotel July 29 DJANGO DJANGO, CAST OF CHEERS The Corner Hotel July 31 MIIKE SNOW The Palace July 31 ELECTRIC GUEST Northcote Social Club August 1

SMASHING PUMPKINS Hisense Arena August 2 MARK GARDENER The Corner Hotel August 5 ***BILLY TALENT Billboard August 12 SLASH Hisense Arena August 26 PENNYWISE The Palace August 26 PITBULL Rod Laver Arena August 27 THE ENGLISH BEAT Corner Hotel August 30 JOSE FELICIANO Palais Theatre August 31 AMERICA Hamer Hall September 6 PATRICK WOLF Forum Theatre September 11 EARTH The Toﬀ In Town September 12, Corner Hotel September 16 HANSON The Palace September 14, 18 RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Hamer Hall September 15 WHEATUS Corner Hotel September 19 YELLOWCARD The Hi-Fi September 21 CANNIBAL CORPSE Billboard October 5 STEEL PANTHER Festival Hall October 7 JOE BONAMASSA Palais Theatre October 11 EVERCLEAR The Hi-Fi October 13. THE BLACK KEYS Sidney Myer Music Bowl October 31 COLDPLAY Etihad Stadium November 13 RADIOHEAD Rod Laver Arena November 16, 17 GEORGE MICHAEL Rod Laver Arena November 21

NATIONAL TEMPER TRAP The Forum May 30 TZU Corner Hotel June 1 GRAVEYARD TRAIN The Hi-Fi June 1, 2 THE JEZABELS Festival Hall June 1 THE MISSION IN MOTION The Tote June 2 MATT CORBY The Forum June 6 TIGER CHOIR Worker’s Club June 7 BONJAH Corner Hotel June 8 THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT The Hi-Fi June 8 DEEP SEA ARCADE Phoenix Public House June 8 THE DELTA RIGGS The Workers Club June 9 360 The Hi-Fi June 15 NICKY BOMBA Thornbury Theatre June 15 MISSY HIGGINS Her Majesty’s Theatre June 16 MUSCLES The Bottom End June 16 KING CANNONS Toﬀ In Town June 21 THE VASCO ERA The Corner Hotel June 22 FIRE! SANTA ROSE, FIRE! The Workers Club June 22

THE AFGHAN WHIGS The Hi-Fi July 25 NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER Northcote Social Club June 23 BUSBY MAROU The Corner June 28 KIRIN J CALLINAN The Tote June 28 WORLD’S END PRESS The Corner Hotel June 29 CHARGE GROUP The Tote June 29 BOB DYLAN TRIBUTE TOUR Palais Theatre July 5, 6 KARNIVOOL The Hi-Fi July 5, 6, 7 THE RUBENS The Corner July 12 LADYHAWKE Billboard July 17 CHILDREN COLLIDE Corner Hotel August 10

TAKE THE 21 CHALLENGE AND HELP CHANGE THE LIVES OF HOMELESS AND AT-RISK YOUTH. GO TO 21CHALLENGE.COM.AU

Beat Magazine Page 16

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KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Corner Hotel August 24 HILLTOP HOODS Festival Hall August 25 XAVIER RUDD The Palace September 13

RUMOURS Gathering Of The Juggalos Australia Edition hosted by Eddie McGuire = New Announcements = Beat Proudly Presents

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Beat Magazine Page 17

LADYHAWKE BY LACHLAN KANONIUK

Maybe it’s that indelible Kiwi accent, but speaking to Pip Brown, aka Ladyhawke, you feel awash with an immediate disarming quality that you would assume is atypical of your standard pop star. You can attribute it to the fact that Ladyhawke isn’t your typical pop star. Though it’s been four years since Ladyhawke broke through in a massive way with a bangerstudded self-titled album, an exhaustive touring schedule and undeniable pop longevity has dissuaded any sense that the shine of Brown’s rising star was diluting any time soon. After prefacing a full re-immersion within the touring cycle with a stunning headline show at venerable rock den The Tote late last year (and subsequent Meredith appearance), Ladyhawke is primed to once again be launched into the collective psyche with her long-gestating sophomore record, Anxiety. “I toured the first album for about two years, then I finished touring early in 2010 – it was Big Day Out that was the last tour of the first album,” Brown states, recalling the long lead-up to album number two. “Then I went to Auckland and Pascal [Gabriel], my producer who I work with, came out to New Zealand and we had a good couple of months in the studio – but I was so exhausted from touring that I couldn’t really do anything. I’d literally go to the studio and just fall asleep. But during that time we wrote two songs together, then at the end of it all we basically called it quits. I just said ‘I need a break’. But those two songs just had me thinking, ‘Now I know what I want to do’. I didn’t really know what the sound of the album was going to be like, but these songs seemed to have came out of nowhere, just from me jamming on the drums for about an hour. It was really cool. Once those two songs were done I had about six months off, but I knew in my head what the album was going to sound like. So that’s how it all came about,” she recalls. “It didn’t feel like a long break to me at all. From the time I finished touring I took six months off and then started the record, and doing the record took about eight months. The time went so fast it was stupid – my feet barely touched the ground. Even chilling out went quick. It still blows my mind – 2008? Was it really that long ago? It still blows my mind, it’s crazy,” Brown declares with an astonished chuckle. With the first album proving to be a massive crossover success into the mainstream, it’s surprising to hear that Anxiety makes a conscious effort to wholly avoid the trends that define the current state of pop music. “There was no part of me that wanted to make my first album all over again. Then I was getting really sick of all the blatant factory pop, trancey-rave stuff that was coming out. It got to the point where it was getting ridiculous,” she exclaims before blurting her best imitation of a Euro-dance melody. “I mean, I love pop music and I know the way it works, but it felt like people were doing it just to sell records rather than make a good pop record. It was getting frustrating, seeing what was all over the charts and seeing what Beat Magazine Page 18

the kids were buying – just all this lazy pop stuff. Maybe a couple of years ago it would have excited me, but I don’t know. Making this record I just felt very excited to be making this rock – still very pop – but very rock-y, fuzzy guitar record. It excited me to do something like that after playing the first album for two years,” she beams.

“I LOVE POP MUSIC AND I KNOW THE WAY IT WORKS, BUT IT FELT LIKE PEOPLE WERE DOING IT JUST TO SELL RECORDS” “I was listening to everything I always listen to, I just think there are a lot of very different vague influences which make up the sum of the whole. As always, David Bowie was at the top of my playlist. There was also The Zombies, Nirvana, Blur – a lot of Britpop. So much different stuff. I’ve sort of had the same music in my iPod forever, I just always end up listening to the same shit over and over again,” Brown laughs. “I was in France in the middle of nowhere, just me and my iPod – no street noise, no TV. So it was just my music in my head all the time, and all of it contributed to the final outcome of the album.” Though it’s probably a little too soon to contextualise tracks such as My Delirium and Paris Is Burning within the grand modern pop canon, they still emanate a sense of timelessness. “When it’s something you’ve created yourself it’s hard to think of it like that, because it’s something that is so inside of you that you can’t step back and look at it from an outsider’s perspective. It’s so funny, just thinking that this is just something that we did in a studio together back in 2007. I get so chuffed that people still love these songs, and all the tracks from the first album. It’s very cool and very flattering.” As for the runaway success of Ladyhawke, it was a sensation that Brown wasn’t able to monitor in realtime. “Because of all the touring I was quite oblivious to what was happening. Back Of The Van was my first

DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION

single and it didn’t do anything at the time. Things just grew over time, and that just happened with each single. I was on the road when My Delirium came out and I didn’t know how well it had gone, then all of a sudden I heard it went platinum, and the album went gold. I really couldn’t believe it. We did this massive tour then on the last day everybody had to tell me what had been happening while I was away, and I was just thinking, ‘Oh my god, what the hell is going on?’ All I could think about was playing shows every night and that was it. So it was completely crazy,” she says. Despite selling a monumental amount of records in the worst possible climate, it’s still a stretch to label Ladyhawke as a mainstream artist. “I’d love to think that people don’t worry about putting things into boxes. It’s quite frustrating as an artist to be classified and put in a box when you don’t think of yourself that way. I hope that if people see me perform live or read interviews then people can gather that I am a musician – I’m not really a pop, girly, lad-di-da artist. If I was quite bubblegum as a person then maybe I wouldn’t be able to slip into the ‘indie’ world as easily as I do. I think who I am as a person sort of helps me to have one foot in each camp, if you know what I mean? Maybe the fact isn’t as much in the mainstream camp as my record label would like is because of the way I look or the way I am,” she muses with candour. Both within her music and in conversation, Brown exudes an overwhelming down-to-earth charm – which is evident when I ask she doesn’t feel the need to inflate her own ego. “I’ve never been that person, ever. I’ve always been this way. I’d feel like a dick if I was that way. No-one’s going to blow smoke up my arse. I don’t think I have it in me, I would just be disappointed in myself, thinking ‘what the hell have you become?’, you know? I’m happy with what I do, and a nice level of low self-esteem goes quite far,” she says with self-deprecating aplomb. Despite the accent, it’s difficult to anchor Ladyhawke to a geographical locale. Like the pavlova and Russell Crowe before her, Australia has gleefully claimed her as our own – Ladyhawke even managed to score a couple of ARIAs. “It doesn’t really matter to me, I’m just me. I’m a Kiwi. I actually did my whole first album in England, apart from one track. I was living in Melbourne when I started calling myself Ladyhawke, I wrote Back Of The Van there and recorded it in Sydney. I kept the whole thing going when I move to Sydney. I just call myself an Australasian artist. I never thought I would be anything other than that. I was happy and content with that, then opportunities presented and I took them up. I’m happy to go with the flow and move overseas. Having said that, all my friends are down under – I haven’t really met anyone in England. But you only live once. I’m just a Kiwi that is a bit everywhere, really. I owe a lot to a lot of places.”

Anxiety is out now through Modular. LADYHAWKE will perform at Billboard on Tuesday July 17, and then play Splendour In The Grass in Byron Bay, taking place Friday July 27 until Sunday July 29.

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THIS WEEK: ON SCREEN Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel. I repeat: Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel. If you’re not influenced by that cast to see a film, there is something wrong with you, and somehow, somewhere, you made a kitten faint. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is one of those British comedies about retirees going to India to find themselves, and experience a life of leisure at the glorious Marigold Hotel, only to discover that it’s not what they thought it would be. Bill Nighy swearing is possibly one of the greatest thing that ever happens in life, and you’d be a fool to miss this film. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is now showing at Cinema Nova.

ON STAGE Theatresports is well good. It’s an improvisation format where teams involved act out a scenario based on challenges put forth by team members. For example, a team may get a scenario situation, like, say, the middle of the ocean, and the team has to act out a scenario in the middle of the ocean. Now you can witness it for yourself with Theatresports 2012, performed by a range of previous Theatresport champions, hilarity is bound to ensue, where actors with more zingers and bazingas may leave you needing - apologies for the hackneyed pun – stitches. Theatresports is now on at The Space in Prahran, 7:30 pm every Sunday until Sunday 24 June.

ON DISPLAY Over at the NGV Gallery, there is some serious business happening for photography nerds. Light Works is an experimental exploration of the photographic medium with light, such as photograms, large-scale installations and digital light-based technologies. Artists include Mike and Doug Starn, Hiroshi Sugimoto, David Stephenson and Bill Henson. Light Works is on until Sunday September 16.

BEAT’S PICK OF THE WEEK:

Emerging Writer’s Festival, Revenge of the Nerds slide night, is a pretty sweet deal where things are going to go down ‘pecha kucha’ style. Don’t know what that means? It’s like, when 20 slides are shown in 20 seconds, and those 20 slides shown in 20 seconds are going to be ﬁlled with the obsessions and past times of those presenting them. Rarely does one get the opportunity to experience 20 seconds of pure nerdery, where you can sit back and revel in the fact that you’re not the only one who has a weird obsession, strange ﬁxation, or getaway-from-me kind of past time. Participating writers include: Brendan Bailey, Ben Birchall, Fee Plumley, Zora Sanders, Melissa Keil, Andrew McClelland, Jess McGuire, Meg Mundell, and Ben McKenzie. Revenge of the Nerds slide night is on at The Workers Club tonight, Wednesday 30 May.

FREE SHIT CARPE NOCTUM Carpe Noctum is the successor to long running and incredibly successful alternative fashion runway show Circa Nocturna which sadly ran for the last time in 2011. Taking the core values and many of the favourite designers of Circa Carpe Noctum at Fiend Fest 2012 will feature some of the best left of centre designers from all over Australia in a dazzling fashion show that will satisfy all of your dark fashion desires and give you a peek at the new collections from some of the most talented alternative designers in the country. We’ve got a few double passes to the show to give away. Hit up beat.com.au/freeshit to win.

Beat Magazine Page 20

WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY BY PATRICK EMERY

The phrase ‘a Woody Allen film’ is far more than an attribution of cinematic editorial responsibility – it’s a textual metaphor for the philosophical, emotional and existential themes explored by Allen in his films. On a visual level, it’s likely to conjure up images of the slightly neurotic Allen, engaged in a revealing dialectic with his (usually female) co-star on the nature of existence, love and morality. With an average of over a film a year in his 40 years of filmmaking, Allen is arguably the most prolific filmmaker of his generation, and at age 76, Allen is showing no sign of slowing down. Allen – born Allen Konigsberg in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City – began his professional career as a writer before moving onto stand-up comedy at the suggestion of his managers, Jack Rollins and Charles Joffe. In 1965, Allen wrote and appeared in What’s New Pussycat?, starring Peter O’Toole and Peter Sellers. Allen’s disappointment with the film, and the flawed realisation of his writing contribution to the film, became the catalyst for Allen’s career as a cinematic auteur. Robert Weide first came across Allen’s films as a nine-yearold, when he saw Allen’s first film, Take the Money and Run. Weide was immediately impressed. “I stayed there forever with his films,” Weide recalls, “and when Annie Hall came out when I was in high school, I was pushed into hyperdrive”. Weide, an aspiring filmmaker himself, was lucky enough to secure a job working with Rollins and Joffe, through which Weide was able to employ Allen for a part in Weide’s debut feature film. Sharing a passion for classic American comics such as WC Fields, Mort Sahl and the Marx Brothers, Weide and Allen were able to establish a close working and platonic association. After years of encouragement, in 2008 Allen agreed to Weide’s suggestion to collaborate with Weide in a documentary on Allen’s life. “I had asked him over many years, and every time he’d turned me down, like he’d turned everyone else down,” Weide says. “And then one day he said yes. I think it helped that he knew me a little bit, and he knew my work, so he knew it wasn’t going to be a hatchet job.”

There’s a sense with Allen’s defining films – Annie Hall, Manhattan, Radio Days, Broadway Danny Rose – that Allen is playing himself: the neurotic, psychologically dysfunctional New Yorker lurching from one emotional crisis to another. Weide points out that the ‘real’ Woody Allen is actually not a particularly neurotic character – art isn’t necessarily imitating life at all. “I think like almost anybody who’s a performer, it’s almost a comic exaggeration of who they are,” Weide says. “Woody’s films aren’t autobiographical, even Annie Hall which draws heavily from his relationship with Dianne Keaton. He’s not actually fidgety or neurotic – he’s actually a really calm guy, and he’s very relaxed on the film set.” Ask any Woody Allen fan, and you’ll get a different array of good and bad Woody Allen films. Allen himself admits to favouring quantity over obsessive quality: some of his films will be admired by audiences and critics, others will be dismissed. Weide says it’s almost impossible to determine the basis for such qualitative distinctions. “The films that are good or bad is an entirely subjective decision,” he says. “I’ve yet to determine the common denominator for the films of Woody’s that I like. I think I have to agree with Woody that it’s a crap shoot – you put it out there, and you see what people think.” That said, it’s definitely arguable that Allen is in his best form when exploring deeper existential and moral questions, whether it’s getting away with murder in Crimes and Misdemeanours, or the desire to conform in Zelig. “I think the biggest thing on Woody’s mind is the big existential question: why are we here?” Weide says. “He talks about it in the film

that at the age of about five he realised that he wasn’t going to be around forever, and that really freaked him out. He’s interested in why we’re here, and how we behave while we’re here – if you look at Crimes and Misdemeanours, if you can get away with a crime, is that OK?” In the early ‘90s, Allen’s reputation looked to be under threat of mortal damage when the breakdown of his relationship with Mia Farrow found its way into the pages of tabloids across the world. A bitter custody dispute – fuelled by Allen’s affair with his step-daughter Soon-Yi and Farrow’s allegations of sexual abuse – ensued. In Weide’s documentary, Allen is open about the personal drama that permeated his life at the time. “He wasn’t hesitant to talk about it – he never battered an eye, and he never tried to control what was I was asking,” Weide says. Despite the blow-torch examination of his private life, Weide says Allen never thought his career would end. “His answer was basically that he never thought it would kill his career,” Weide says. “He just basically kept working all the way through it – he’s the king of compartmentalising.” Having lived through that particular drama, Allen has maintained his steady average of at least a film a year. The popular and critical reception has remained variable – recent Allen films such as Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris have met with positive-to-mixed reception, without ever shaking Allen’s desire to keep making movies. “I can assure you that he’ll keep making a film a year until they physically pick him up off the sound stage and carry him out – and I mean that literally!” Weide laughs. Woody Allen: A Documentary screens at the ACMI from Friday June 1 to Monday June 18. For tickets and more information visit acmi.net.au

EAMES: THE ARCHITECT AND THE PAINTER BY PATRICK EMERY

In 1981, the classroom furniture in my primary school underwent a profound stylist change. Out went the stiff, wooden backed chairs, and in came sleek, ergonomically accommodating plastic chairs. We didn’t realise it at the time, but the new chairs were the South Australian Education Department’s belated acknowledgement of modernist design. Most famously reflected in the philosophy and design of the Bauhaus school, the modernists recalibrated the balance between form and function; in the post-World War II world, modernism, helped out with the growth in the plastics industry, spawned a new era in industrial and consumer design. Everything from chairs to lounge suites to light shades to houses was infused with the modernist style. A few years ago filmmaker Jason Cohn began noticing the proliferation of modernist furniture in retro stores in his hometown of San Francisco. Despite not having a design background, Cohn took the re-discovery of modernist style as the inspiration for a documentary on the designers who came to dominate the design and architectural market after the Second World War. Part way into his project, Cohn realised that the story of two protagonists of the modernist school – husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames – would itself make for compelling documentary cinema. “After I started reading about the designers of that period, and what they stood for – they had a profound philosophy at work. And then I started reading more about Charles and Ray, and I realised that their relationship was itself a wonderful story,” Cohn says. Eames: The Architect and the Painter tells the story of Charles and Ray Eames, and the couple’s impact on American design. Charles Eames was a struggling architect in the years preceding World War II. Already married, Eames met and fell in love with Ray Kaiser, an aspiring young painter. Charles and Ray eventually married and began a design practice together.

An initial attempt at what later became the famous Eames chair failed, before the Eames used the United States Navy’s demand for splints to refine the design process. Charles and Ray went on to found an eponymous design business that would continue until Charles’ death in 1978. Along the way, Charles Eames particularly became a feted figure in the design and architectural world; Ray’s contribution would also be celebrated, though without the adulation offered to her more publically prominent husband. While the Eames style is well known, Cohn says the more significant aspect of the Eames’ contribution to design was the process by which identified problems became design solutions. “People who know Eames more deeply realise that they didn’t have a style as such – each design was specific,” Cohn says. “What I think really endures with Eames is the process of approach to design problems, the relationship between the designer and their client, the approach to yourself and your broader public perception. More broadly, Eames represented a seamless relationship between work, play and love life,” he says. While it was Charles who tended to be front and centre in the Eames publicity machine, Ray’s influence on the Eames design philosophy and style – including the now legendary corporate promotional films Charles and Eames put together for clients such as IBM – has been subject of critical, and positive review in recent years. “You still hear people talking about ‘Charles Eames design’, but things have come a long way,” Cohn says. “A lot of feminist scholars have raised awareness of Ray’s

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contribution. And there’s now a bigger recognition that just because she wasn’t in the public eye doesn’t mean that she didn’t play a big part in running the company.” What does remain a matter of contention is the part played by other designers employed in the Eames’ design business. Eames: The Architect and the Painter touches on such matters, though the various employees interviewed are all apparently devoid of ill-feeling toward their former patron and employer. “There is one person who’s taken a stronger line,” Cohn says. “Marilyn Newhart didn’t work there as such, but she had worked with Charles, and her husband John worked there, and was a key staff member. Marilyn has a very negative and bitter perspective on that question, and believes that Charles was very hands off, and her books have had a real influence on the historiography of Eames, though not everyone agrees with the research she’s undertaken,” Cohn says. By the time of his death, Eames was a towering figure in the design world, although Cohn doesn’t believe Eames ever lost his original humility. “I think he did have a bit of an ego, but I don’t think he got carried away,” Cohn says. “It wasn’t like he was being treated like a movie star – it was only in the world of architecture and design where he was feted. What mattered more to Charles was what his friends thought of him, especially the scientists, engineers and physicists that were around him.” Eames: The Architect and the Painter screens at ACMI from Friday June 1 until Sunday June 17. For tickets and more information visit acmi.net.au

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Beat Magazine Page 21

THE COMIC STRIP

With Tyson Wray. Got news, gossip, reviews, thoughts, tip-oﬀs, complaints, hate mail? Email tyson@beat.com.au or send by ESP before Friday.

STEVE GRAHAM Ever pay much attention to those signs and graphics that we see on every street and on every building? Not really? Steve Graham does. And with a background in advertising as an illustrator and designer, it’s really no wonder why he does. Taking a particular liking to environmental graphics that we see everyday, informing, directing, warning and harassing us, Steve is here to make sure that we take notice. His work is an attempt to distill these images into single paintings, bringing these often subliminal messages that we often take for granted into the conscious realm. See how Steve makes the ordinary into the extraordinary as the magic of conceptual art heads to the South Yarra Art House from Saturday May 26.

DANIELLE DE NIESE

Young Talent Time is one of those shows that we just don’t get. And if this year’s contestants were anything to go by, there isn’t much hope left. But many years back, there was still that hope as nine-year-old Danielle De Niese was crowned the winner - the youngest person ever to win the show. From there, it’s only gone uphill for the star - moving to LA, winning an Emmy, making her debut with the LA Opera at 15, and debuting at the Met at age 19. Yep, there’s not much this girl can’t do. To celebrate her professional debut in her home country, De Niese will head back to her native land to sing a specially commissioned Australian work. Danielle De Niese will bring the tidal wave that is her beauty and talent to the Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday June 17 and Monday June 18.

CHECKPOINT CHARLIE COMEDY EMOTION Everybody loves a good flashmob. Featuring over 200 young dancers, eMotion is a flashmob-style event will be the culmination of a six-month program of face-to-face and online dance workshops that celebrate Australia’s vibrant, multicultural communities. Including the likes of Demolition B-Girl from So You Think You Can Dance? and co-founder of Jungle City Massive Cat Sweeney, as well as hip hop/ contemporary/Haka expert, John Gray, participants have been encouraged to spice their own choreography with the unique cultural flavours found throughout Melbourne’s western and regional communities. Get ya best dance moves prepared as eMotion heads to Hamer Hall, Riverside Promenade and surrounding areas on Saturday July 28 and Sunday July 29 from 2pm – 4pm.

KATYA GROKHOVSKY The Ukrainian-born, Australian-raised artist is bringing her somewhat sadistic, extremely beautiful Slow Dance exhibition to the forefront of our lives, and we couldn’t be more stoked to catch a glimpse. A metaphor of our slow, or incredibly fast, intimate, often coupled and extremely human dance to the grave, Slow Dance is an exploration of our simultaneous desire and fear of closeness, aging, loneliness and the ultimate distance between us. A combination of videos, found objects, drawings, photographs and participatory performance, Katya will bring with her the only object she has been able to take with her throughout her travels – her own body. Slow Dance proves the act of turning is not only physical, but also perpetual. Be transported to your own body as Katya Grokhovsky’s Slow Dance heads to BUS Projects’ Gallery 1 and 2 from Tuesday June 5 – Saturday June 23.

GLORY BOX LENNY HENRY The Melbourne International Comedy Festival may be over, but the laughs keep on rolling in. Acclaimed UK comedian, actor, writer, TV presenter, radio host and all-round Renaissance-man, Lenny Henry, is set to return to his roots with a funky, funny and personal one man show, Cradle To Rave. And it’s all about the thing he loves most: music. Touring nationally next month, Cradle To Rave is Henry’s most personal show yet, oﬀering a hilarious and touching insight into a man to whom music matters a little too much. Lenny Henry will bring Cradle To Rave to Her Majesty’s Theatre on Thursday June 28 and Friday June 29. Head to ticketek. com.au for bookings.

The undisputed Empress of Provocative Variety and Intimate Spectacle, Moira Finucane, parachutes into Melbourne in the middle of an eight month, six country, 100 venue tour to bring her beloved hometown the Medusa Mega Mix of Finucane and Smith’s legendary genre-busting, multi-award winning, globally-acclaimed Burlesque Hour. And this time she’s opening Pandora’s Box. Dipped in lush brocades, bespoke cocktails and golden dragons, Finucane and Smith’s Glory Box is Burlesque Hour meets Pandora’s Box – fusing demimonde nightclub with jaw-dropping cabaret, insolent and exotic live art, circus and sideshow, butoh and disco, grand guignol and backroom ballet in a seductive spectacle. But it’s only around for four weeks, so chances are not to be missed. Glory Box will head to fortyﬁvedownstairs from Thursday June 7 – Sunday July 1.

THE AGONY AND ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS

THERE’S A HIPPOPOTAMUS ON OUR ROOF EATING CAKE

In the words of Biggie Smalls, “Mo’ money, mo’ problems.” In March of this year, a scandal erupted in the U.S. after performer Mike Daisey’s protest-play about the labour conditions of Chinese workers manufacturing Apple’s iPhone and iPads was found to be a work of ﬁction. Bringing to life the scandal surrounding Apple, Mike Daisey is getting ready to present The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs – a skillful weaving of the narrative of Steve Jobs’ life with Daisey’s own journey to the Apple plants in Shenzen, China. The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs will head to La Mama every Sunday in June, giving audiences an opportunity to play on the world stage, and be part of a world-shaping discussion.

After international acclaim at the Edinburgh, Tacoma, and Austin film festivals, the live-action short film There’s a Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake is finally making its way back to Australia for a limited season. Since its first 1980 release through Penguin Publishers, the Australian picture book has sold over a million copies worldwide, ABC viewers voted it one of their 150 favourite books of all time, and it was an official Australian Government birthday gift to Danish Princess Isabella. Filmed entirely in the Dandenong Ranges and featuring an endearing animatronic hippopotamus, there isn’t much to not love about it. There’s a Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake will screen at ACMI from Saturday June 9 – Monday June 11 and Wednesday June 13.

OF WORDS AND WAR History buffs, this one’s for you. Heading to town next month is Of Words and War, a story of four young German women finding themselves serving their country in the dying days of WWII, filling oncemale roles at the Stade air force base near Hamburg. Unaware that the war is being lost, they begin to write, sharing memories and impressions, exploring the first time the creativity of a youth they never had, but an unexpected incident forces the girls to examine beliefs that they had never questioned before. A true story about the enduring nature of creativity, Of Words and War is a story about the enduring nature of creativity, set amidst the duty and secrecy of war. Head to La Mama from Wednesay June 20 – Sunday July 1 to check out Of Words and War.

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THE GOLDEN DRAGON Remember when the tooth fairy would reimburse us for losing our teeth? It seemed like a generous sentiment at the time. But who knows if even the tooth fairy would be too down for this. In the bustling kitchen of The Golden Dragon, a young illegal immigrant is tormented by the pain of a decaying tooth. In desperation, a coworker performs emergency dentistry using only a spanner and a bottle of vodka. As the boy screams, his extraction is ﬂung through the air into the bottom of the No.6 Thai Soup with Chicken. The search for the missing incisor thus follows the hapless lives of the restaurant’s employees and the local residents. Yep, all that over a tooth. Directed by Daniel Clarke, the Australian premiere of The Golden Dragon will open at MTC Theatre on Friday June 22. Check out mtc.com.au to book.

SONGWRITER’S GUIDE TO THE MUSIC PUBLISHING GALAXY Interested into hearing some insight into the music publishing world, with special guests and performers? AMPAL –Songwriter’s Guide to the Music Publishing Galaxy is a must for the up and coming singer/songwriter. The event is a chance to meet and greet representatives from the Australasian Music Publishers Association and pick their brains with your most pressing questions. AMPAL works on behalf of its members to promote a better understanding of the value of music, both culturally and economically. The publisher members invest in songwriters across all genres of music. They nurture talent, promote the works of their writers and ﬁnd avenues for their work to be heard. There is a brilliant lineup of special guests attending, so make sure you check it out. It’s on at The Toﬀ In Town on Monday June 4.

FELIX BAR COMEDY This Wednesday, UK comic Jeﬀ Green headlines Felix Bar Comedy! He sold out his run of shows over the comedy festival, so make sure you see him for a bargain basement price down at St Kilda! Plus another great bunch of comedians playing support, in the form of Ben Lomas, Anne Edmonds, Tom Gaynor and more! Come down and check out the biggest night of comedy in St Kilda, every Wednesday night! It’s happening this Wednesday May 30 at 8.30pm for only $12, at Felix Bar, 11 Fitzroy St, St Kilda.

COMMEDIA DELL PARTE Once again Commedia Dell Parte brings you an amazing line up with special guest MC Luke McGregor bringing a packed line up to the George Lane bar including Adam Francis, Beau Stegmann, Tom Ward, Anna Log, Michael Connell, Mark Trenwith, Craig McLeod and Liam Ryan. Make sure you get in early to secure yourself a comfy couch, see some amazing comedy and go into the draw for some great prizes from Punchline. The room runs on a ‘pay as you like’ basis, so come along and have a great laugh, then pay what you believe the show is worth on the way out. So if you enjoy the show chuck in a few sheckles and show your appreciation. Commedia Dell Parte runs every Thursday 8.30pm at the George Lane Bar, St Kilda.

SOFTBELLY COMEDY Jeﬀ Green headlines Softbelly Comedy this Thursday! He’s a big British comic that’s been all over the telly here and in England, and here’s your chance to see him up close and personal in little old Softbelly! Plus another great support crew in the shape of Tommy Little, Tommy Dassalo, Don Tran and more! It’s all happening at Softbelly, 367 Little Bourke St in the city, this Thursday May 31, 8.30pm, for only $12! Get in early for a good seat!

COMEDY AT SPLEEN LET GO You know those moments where you just have to make a choice? That ‘moment of decision’. Well, it’s time to let go with Let Go. Inspired by architecture, street art and Japanese animation, Ry Wilkin’s Let Go captures those moments when choices – the good, the bad, and the ugly – beckon, and you are compelled to play your hand. Having plumbed the treasures of Brunswick’s hard rubbish collection and recycled construction materials as canvasses for his works, Ry will bring the street, quite literally, into the gallery. His work combines cartoon ﬁgures with stencilled architecture to produce complex, layered imagery. He ﬁnds light in dark places and dark in light places; straight lines in curves and curves in straight lines. Ry Wilkin will bring Let Go to No No Gallery from Friday June 1 – Sunday June 10. For more information, head to nonogallery.org.

SQUARING THE WHEEL All of you older kids, step aside. This one’s for the little guys. A show about complicating simple things, Squaring The Wheel tells the story of an eccentric misﬁt meeting a strange world of contraptions, resulting in everything turning into a challenging and surprising discovery. Elements of circus, clowning and puppetry, magic, wacky mechanisms, unexpected music and audience participation are all inserted into this theatrically comical and physical stage extravaganza. And, like all good things, there’s a lesson or two to be learnt from the production. A bunch of fun for everyone – even the kids that aren’t too keen on technical stuﬀ, Squaring The Wheel will head to La Mama from Tuesday June 5 – Sunday June 17. Head to lamama.com.au for more details.

It’s the best damn morally bankrupt comedy room in town. See for yourself. Tonight, Charlie is joining forces with Maximón, Central America’s protector of lost souls, and bringing you a huge line-up full of the wayward, including Age Critics choice Asher Treleaven, Geraldine Hickey, John Conway and a sexy surprise headliner. And tonight only, we’ll be spitting funnies upstairs at the brand new House of Maximón, a place of ill repute. But as always, cheap piss and piss-cheap entry. Check in 8pm tonight at House of Maximon (upstairs from Eurotrash) - Lvl 1, 18 Corrs Lane, Melbourne. $5 entry. Get down early for a seat.

3XY OR I DIE! He is the ﬁrst man to stage a hunger strike in the name of rock’n’roll because 3XY wouldn’t play him. Who is he? He’s Ron Rude – Belgrave’s number one public nuisance – and his expoits and adventures are back on stage. Written by award winning playwright, Kieran Carroll, 3XY OR I DIE! won Best Original Production from Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2002. Ten years on, director Ross Daniels adds a dash of 2012 with Rude talking about friends he’s lost on the way and why ex-private schoolboys in the late ‘70s took the hardest St Kilda drugs around while he watched on. 3XY OR I DIE! Is both poignant and hilarious. Head to Gasometer Hotel from Wednesday May 30 until Sunday June 3 to check it out. To book, dial these digits: 9773 1210.

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It’s always a great big night at Comedy At Spleen, and this Monday is no diﬀerent! We’ve got Spleen Comic of the Year, Xavier Michelides hosting! Plus heaps of great acts like Tommy Little, Don Tran, Karl Chandler, Ryan Coﬀey, John Campbell and more! It’s this Monday June 4, 41 Bourke St, in the city, at 8.30pm. It may be free, but we appreciate a good gold coin donation at the door!

SHAUN’S KICK ASS PARTY Just two days after announcing “Shaun’s Kick Ass Party”, an event that would fulfil one of his final wishes, 17-yearold Melbourne boy Shaun Miller sadly passed away on Saturday May 26, and in the determined spirit of which the brave young teenager with a passion for comedy lived his short life, the event organisers, along with Shaun’s father, Cameron have announced that the party will go ahead on Friday June 15.. At “Shaun’s Kick Ass Party”, the cream of an Australian comedy community known as The ‘Hood will come together under the one roof for the very special event that will celebrate the young and brave life of Shaun, fulfilling one of his remaining wishes to throw a “kick-ass” party to raise awareness for HeartKids Victoria. “Shaun’s Kick Ass Party” is an all ages event to be, hosted at Luna Park in St Kilda with delicious canapés, BBQ, fancy beverages, free rides, stand-up comedy and special guest appearances from some of Shaun’s favourite celebrities and sporting heroes. With RocKwiz host Brian Nankervis as MC on the night, five hours of non-stop entertainment will be laid on by comedians Chris Franklin, Doug Chappel, Mick Neven, Greg Fleet, Bev Killick, The Nelson Twins, Lehmo and Vic Plume, with DJ sets by Fiona Scott-Norman and Dave Callan. Tickets are available from lunapark.com.au

MOONSHADOW BY PATRICK EMERY

When Yusuf Islam – born Steven Giorgiades, and better known to his legion of fans as Cat Stevens – returned to Australia in 2010, he showcased some songs from his forthcoming musical, Moonshadow. Named after one of Islam’s many folk rock classics, it was in some ways inevitable that Moonshadow would provide a musical vehicle for Islam’s philosophical, spiritual and painfully astute observations on the social fears and emotional foibles that characterise contemporary society. The response to Islam’s fledgling musical was overwhelmingly positive; so positive, in fact, that Islam decided to premiere the show in Melbourne. Gemma-Ashley Kaplan, who plays Lisa in Moonshadow, was introduced to the music of Cat Stevens through her parents’ music collection. “My first introduction to Cat Stevens’ music was basically in my childhood,” Kaplan says. “My parents are both musicians, and my dad is a guitarist, so I was very much exposed to Cat Stevens’ music through what he was listening to, and playing,” she says. Born in South Africa before moving to Australia with her family, Kaplan followed her parents into the musical environment, enrolling in a Bachelor Of Performing Arts at the Western Australian Academy Of Performing Arts in Perth. Kaplan went on to appear in various musical productions, including West Side Story (as Maria) and a number of Broadway and off-Broadway productions in New York. In 2010, Kaplan threw her hat in the ring for a role in Moonshadow. “When Yusuf was out here in 2010 he had auditions for the show,” Kaplan says. “I did the audition on Sunday, and then I got a call on Monday, and we started doing the workshop the next week.” Shortly after, Kaplan received confirmation that she’d been offered the role of Lisa. “I hadn’t done a musical for a while, since I’d been in West Side Story,” Kaplan says. Any reservations Kaplan may have had regarding her suitability for the role were quickly placated by Yusuf’s calm, and extremely professional demeanour. “It was pretty surreal to meet him when he was out here for the auditions,” Kaplan says. “It’s absolutely humbling to observe and experience just how down-to-Earth he really is. He really makes you feel at home, and the way he encourages and interacts is amazing.” As a performer and composer of 50 years’ standing, Yusuf is also, Kaplan says, a genuine professional, walking the line between collective discipline and individual creativity. “He’s such a perfectionist, but he also allows you a great deal of freedom,” says Kaplan. The story of Moonshadow begins with Stormy, played by Gareth Keegan (with whom Kaplan studied at WAAPA, as well as appearing alongside in West Side Story). Living in a world where there is no light, Stormy, alongside his childhood friend Lisa, are convinced there is more to the world than the darkness which superficially dominates their existence. “It’s a fable or parable type story,” Kaplan says. “The story is set in a world that has no light, and it’s been going on for a few hundred years. The central character, Stormy, believes there is light to be found in the world, and he goes on a journey to find the light.” Along the way Stormy and Lisa’s journey is illustrated via a combination of classic Cat Stevens and contemporary Yusuf Islam tracks, supplemented by material written by Yusuf specifically for the show. Not surprisingly, Moonshadow represents both allegory for the modern world’s stumbling attempts to achieve spiritual awareness, as well as providing an insight into Yusuf’s own journey from pop star to religious teacher. “There’s definitely some autobiographical element in the story,” Kaplan says. “I think for most authors there is something of them in the characters in the stories they write. And with Moonshadow, you have this character that goes to the wrong side, and then returns, which is very similar to the journey that Yusuf has taken over the course of his life,” she says. The decision to premiere the show in Melbourne might seem a surprising one; notwithstanding Australia’s long-standing affection for the music of Cat Stevens and, more recently, Yusuf Islam’s ‘comeback’ records, Melbourne is a world away from the West End of London where he grew up. “Yusuf has had great responses when he’s been out here,” Kaplan says. “When he came out here in 2010, and he did a snippet of Moonshadow, people really liked it. And I think he also got a sense that Melbourne is a really good place for musicals.” In Kaplan’s assessment, the decision to start the show in Melbourne came down to ‘instinct’. “Yusuf would definitely like to take the show to the West End in London where he grew up,” Kaplan says. “He had a placement there, but he pulled it before the show started because he wasn’t completely happy with how it was looking.” Kaplan says it’s been ‘idyllic’ singing the music of Cat Stevens and Yusuf Islam. “It’s been idyllic because all the songs are sung in the original key,” Kaplan says. “And the original key for the songs sits very well with my voice. Most of the performers in the show are trained, but they’re singing pop songs. You try to make them your own while retaining the melodies of the original.” The reception offered to Yusuf Islam during his 2010 Australian tour confirmed the ongoing attraction of his music. Kaplan puts this down to the melodic and narrative strength of the music. “The themes and lyrics are about eternal positivity – it’s about love and hope,” Kaplan says. “Yusuf says he thinks music has gone full circle – when the world’s at its worst, music is at its best.” Moonshadow plays at The Princess Theatre from Thursday May 31 until Thursday July 5. Visit moonshadowthemusical.com.au for tickets and more information.

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Beat Magazine Page 23

AUSTRALIAN BURLESQUE FESTIVAL BY MEGAN HANSON

Following two consecutive sold-out tours, the third annual Australian Burlesque Festival promises to be “bigger, brighter and thrilling to the core”. This year the festival boasts a line-up with four international acts, as well as Australia’s finest. Headliner Anna Fur Laxis has been dubbed one of the best burlesque performers on Earth, and is making her Australian debut for the ABF. She speaks to us about glamour, medical puns and her passion for weapons. It was a long-term goal of Laxis’ to perform in Australia, so when she was approached about performing at this year’s ABF, she was thrilled. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing some of your beautiful country,” she says, “but what I’m most excited about is meeting the Australian burlesque community … and finding out more about the people involved in the scene there.” Laxis is bringing two of her favourite shows to the ABF: Viva Bettie – a tribute to pin-up icon and personal hero Bettie Page, and Tourbillon – a take on a classic American-style bump ‘n’ grind. “My shows are all very different,” she explains, “but I love to use humour and comedy along with the glamour, to make you smile.” Having been placed highly in the Burlesque Top 50 for the last three years, her name secured in The Burlesque Hall Of Fame as well as receiving a prestigious Milan Burlesque Award, Laxis seems to be at the top of her game. “I’m thrilled that there are people who like what I do,” she says excitedly, “because all I really want to do is make people feel happy. I think I’m a pretty down-to-Earth kind of person, and I don’t mind making a fool of myself – I think people can relate to those things. I always try to have humour in my shows and I love to include a little of the ridiculous!” For such a successful performer, Laxis is relatively new on the burlesque scene; she has been performing for five years, and also models for retro and alternative clothing companies. “I work harder [on performing] than I’ve ever worked on any job before, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” she explains. “I started out with very small, simple ideas and I’ve become more ambitious with my acts over time. I never imagined any of this could ever happen. My goals have always been small and incremental – regular, tiny steps can take a lady a long way!” It was pin-up modelling that gave Laxis her start in burlesque. Prior to that, she tried her hand in a number of different fields as a legal secretary, masseuse and at one stage, a radiographer. She thinks she was “mostly drawn to burlesque as a way to express a part of [her]self that, up to that point, didn’t have an outlet.” From the acts she is bringing to the ABF, Laxis is hoping the audience will experience “humour, glamour and a touch of the ridiculous.” From the festival as a whole, she believes we can expect “a great show, with a fantastic selection of performances from the international burlesque community.” Despite her excitement about the acts she is bringing to Australia, Laxis is sad not to be bringing her axethrowing act (most likely due to aviation restrictions). Despite this, she still hopes to incorporate more weapons in her act for future shows. “My heart and my passion lie with weapons,” she says, and is strangely enthusiastic about this. “Hopefully in the future [there are] weapons that you can take on board aircraft!” Laxis’ crafts her show to attract as vast an audience as possible. “My shows seem to appeal to people who are upbeat and fun,” she says, “as well as Bettie Page fans. And of course medical professionals, (they) like my name!” “As a language enthusiast and medical fetishist, my name was always going to be something from the medical books. I love that people don’t have to understand what my name means for it to make sense on a burlesque lineup, but for people who do know what it means … I think it suits me perfectly!” In addition to her performances in the ABF, Laxis will be running two workshops for budding burlesque performers, or for those who are merely curious. Victory Roll Boot Camp is an intensive workshop which runs through all of the different ways to make ‘40s hair victory rolls, and includes other hairstyling tips. The second workshop, Flicks, Lashes & Lips, runs through the staples of retro-inspired make up. “The classes are a fun way to take the time to experiment with different make up or hair styles and include lots of tips and cheats,” Laxis explains. “The sessions are usually great fun, and it’s lovely to meet up with other like-minded ladies.” For her Melbourne show, Laxis will be headlining The Big Tease at The Hi-Fi. Producers Rosy Rabbit and Dolores Daiquiri will also be performing on the night, along with 13 others acts. Australia’s ‘Queen Of Burlesque’ Imogen Kelly and Finnish act LouLou D’Vil are among the stellar lineup, both of whom Laxis admires. “They’re both red hot!” she exclaims. “I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to seeing the other performers on the bill!” The night is not one to be missed, and as Laxis says: “it’s going to be an extravaganza of fun, glamour and tease!” The Australian Burlesque Festival runs from Thursday June 7 until Sunday June 24 around the nation, and will be featured in various locations around Melbourne between Thursday June 7 and Sunday June 10. For tickets and more information visit australianburlesquefest.com

Beat Magazine Page 24

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VA VA BOOMBAH BY MEGAN HANSON

Melbourne is known for its progressive burlesque scene, but its latest addition has arrived solely with the intention to shake things up. ‘Fat burlesque’ show Va Va Boombah is making history as Melbourne’s first burlesque night to feature only plussized performers. Self-proclaimed empire builder and co-producer Aimee Nichols speaks about how about her political motivations behind the show, and why “no one shakes it quite like a semi-naked fatty”. Nichols says that she “was motivated to create a space for plus-sized performers to express themselves in a safe environment. Some may not necessarily get that many performance opportunities and they may not feel all that confident in joining an established show.” All of the performers on the night identify with the political idea of being ‘fat’. The nature of Va Va Boombah stems from the sizeacceptance movement that is said to be spreading across Melbourne. “We’ve already received a lot of love and encouragement across Australia,” explains Nichols. “People have said that what we’re doing is absolutely fantastic”. The show hopes to inspire other plus-sized people who perhaps have always wanted to perform but haven’t had the confidence. “We’re also hoping to pass on the message that you can be a size 18, 20 or 22 and still be sexy,” says Nichols, “and that’s just a really positive message.” In addition to this positive message, Nichols has ambitions of what Va Va Boombah will inspire. “I’m hoping that by doing this we can open up a conversation about what a performer is and who can be considered sexy,” she says enthusiastically. All of the performers in Va Va Boombah have at times felt prejudiced against for their body size. “Obviously when you’re a larger person you notice that there’s idea about who you are based on your body and there’s places that you feel more welcome in than others.” The show has also received a lot of support through the more established burlesque community in Melbourne, with some performers volunteering their expertise. Muffy Manhattan, founder of Melbourne’s original burlesque troupe, Hi ball Burlesque, has played a big part in developing the show. “She’s taught our performers stage craft and costumes,” Nichols says excitedly, “and she’s been incredibly generous with her time and a huge part of the show from the word go.”

The concept for Va Va Boombah came about via Twitter. “I was at a burlesque show late last year,” Nichols says, “and during the intermission I was tweeting about how great it was and said, ‘I wish there was a plus-sized performance night out there’.” Her friend Lisa-Skye Goodes responded with extreme enthusiasm. “She introduced me to Jackie Wykes and it all kinda came about from there.” Being an emerging burlesque performer herself, it was natural for Nichols to start the idea of Va Va Boombah in this field, but she has hopes to broaden the show to cabaret and circus performance. Coproducer Goodes is a stand-up comedian and will be MC-ing the night (with a few surprises up her sleeve, we’re told). Despite nearing completion of her PhD, Jackie Wykes has assumed the role of third coproducer and will also be taking part on the night. Whilst her background is in acting and physical theatre, Nichol’s motivation for being a performer is “making people laugh”. Although she’ll be involved in a few acts on the night, her solo performance pays homage to the computer game Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? “By dressing up as Carmen I get to fulfil a childhood dream,” she giggles. Nichols describes own performance style as ‘neo-burlesque’, which she says is “taking burlesque-style conventions and use them to do something which is quite funny.” While the night aims to attract a fairly general audience who are open to receiving the political message the show delivers, Nichols is adamant that the plus-sized concept is not a gimmick. “We’ve tried to establish from the word go that we’re not trying to be a novelty act. We are a group of plus-sized performers and that might be challenging for some people, I mean you’re [probably] not used to seeing a plus-sized girl up on stage getting her kit off. “We’re not just doing it for other plus-sized people, or people engaged in the burlesque community. We’re

making the appeal as broad as possible and I think the range and variety in entertainment reflects this. We’ve got a performer who does ‘50s-style burlesque and fan dancing, a few other neo-burlesque performers and one girl is planning on doing a reverse strip-tease. Her motivation behind this was her love for performing and burlesque, but the one thing that scares her is the idea of being pretty much naked in front of an audience.” The show will also feature an opera singer and go-go dancers. Nichols is hoping that the show can continue on a semi-regular basis. A lot of the performers are making their debut on the night, and Nichols has already begun to use Va Va Boombah to foster new talent. “I was hoping our performers could use this opportunity

to springboard themselves into other opportunities,” she admits. “But that has already started to happen and the show hasn’t happened yet!” The night promises to be “super entertaining”. Nichols that stresses that the performers are about a lot more than their body size. “If you come along, you’re gonna laugh, you’re gonna be entertained, possibly slightly aroused and you may have some ideas that you have challenged and some confirmed. It’s just gonna be a really good night out”. Va Va Boombah will debut on Friday June 1 at Revolt Melbourne in Kensington for one night only. For show information please visit vavaboombah.com

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Beat Magazine Page 25

SLASH BY BENN LAIDLOW

“Yesterday’s got nothin’ for me, old pictures that I’ll always see”. Those words might have been written by his estranged former colleague Axl Rose, but they apply even more so to Slash, who from all accounts has purged his memory banks and conscience of nearly everything pertaining to Guns N’ Roses. In the time since the dissolution of ‘Old Guns’, as Rose has retrospectively rebranded them, Slash has recorded at least six full-length studio albums, collaborated with countless artists, started a family, won a couple of Grammys, starred in a computer game and written his autobiography. Sure, there might be the occasional G’N’R cover in his setlist, and journalists will continue to ask him about it for as long as he lives, but for Slash the past is the past, and there’s no point retreading old ground. Instead, there lies a desire to forge ahead and to make music for its own sake; the philosophy being that a good musician is an active one. Meeting Slash is admittedly a slightly surreal experience – after all, no one human being has done more for the combined sales of top hats, Jim Beam, Playstation guitar-controllers or sunburst Les Pauls, and to contemplate the musical elite he’s shared a stage with is truly mind-boggling. But in person he is softly-spoken, self-deprecating and good-humoured, the greying stubble and fidgetty, now cigarettefree fingers serving as outward reminders that he is in fact a human being, and not an avatar or fictional character on South Park. Speaking from behind mirrored sunglasses and clearly slightly unaccustomed to being up and about in the AM, he is nevertheless enthusiastic about the imminent release of his new album Apocolyptic Love, and the formation of his new band The Conspirators – particularly the soaring and majestic contributions of new lead vocalist Myles Kennedy, who was at one point considered as a possible replacement for Scott Weiland in Velvet Revolver. Indeed it was Kennedy who deputised for Axl Rose at Guns N’ Roses’ recent induction into

the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and whom Slash selected as a live stand-in for the multiple vocalists of his previous solo outing. Conceding only that the new album is “dark” and “heavy”, Slash is adamant that there is no grand scheme or overarching concept to the record, and cautions against reading too much into it. “This record was written on the road, was performed live, and is really just a four-piece rock band,” he explains. “I didn’t get into overdubs, or embellishing anything. There’s a million things I could have done with this record, just to make it musically more ‘intricate’ with harmonies and all that, but [producer] Eric Valentine and I just wanted it to keep it as live and in-your-face and stripped-down and honest as possible. The only outside instrument we used was a tiny bit of piano on one song.” Several documentaries on the making of the album were recently released on YouTube and show a band clearly revelling in the creative process, interacting with a distinct lack of hierarchy or ego in a strange

“ERIC VALENTINE AND I JUST WANTED IT TO KEEP IT AS LIVE AND IN-YOUR-FACE AND STRIPPED-DOWN AND HONEST AS POSSIBLE.”

WHITE CELL VS KETTLESPIDER

KETTLESPIDER

WHITE CELL

Beat Magazine Page 26

purpose-built hut, which was constructed to maintain a band dynamic whilst retaining the necessary audio separation – an innovation which Slash describes as “a mini revelation”. While he is often touted as a guitar purist, one wonders whether he ever feels straight jacketed by this, or by the instrument with which he has become so indelibly associated. “Yeah, sometimes I feel the need to get away from the guitar itself. Like, when you pick up a guitar, you tend to know what you’re doing and what you’re about to do. Sometimes the best way to get away from that is to pick up another instrument,” he says. “I’m a fuckin’ terrible piano player, but I can write on it, much like I type: very slowly. But I come up with ideas on piano that I wouldn’t necessarily come up with on guitar. Having said that, I find that I’m still exploring the way the guitar works in a regular, sort of, standard setup, and seeing what I can come up with within that and still make it unique.” Noting that the timeframe between his records is actually decreasing, and that apparently some fifteen

SIMON (KETTLESPIDER) QUESTIONS PAUL (WHITE CELL) What’s the story behind the band name White Cell? Everyone has White Blood Cells so at the very core we are all the same. What’s your most memorable White Cell gig? There are two. Ding Dong Lounge with Scar The Surface & one at Revolver with Circles. Both those shows were absolute crackers. How did you guys meet up and start the band? We met through another recording project that evolved into a project that became White Cell. Which track from your new Maladjusted EP are you most excited to perform live?

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songs were recorded in the Apocalyptic Love sessions alone, Slash speaks about his career with the fervour of a man at the beginning of a new endeavour, rather than a grizzled old veteran. Now that the new band is gelling, and now that he has a singer who doesn’t complain and actually turns up to the venues on time, and with a large-scale tour planned for later in the year, the focus is decidedly on the future. But is there any place for nostalgia, or revisiting old ideas? “Nah,” he shrugs. “There’s tons of ideas over the years that haven’t been utilised, but I hate to go backwards and look through old stuff... If there’s an old riff that’s been bugging me for years, then it might get used. But if it’s just one of those things that I thought was cool at the time and never got used, chances are I’ll just throw it away without a second thought.”

Apocalyptic Love is out now through Sony Music. SLASH will play Hisense Arena on Sunday August 26. I like them all myself but it always get tingles when we start the set with Institution. What is your favourite beer? Sierra Nevada Torpedo. PAUL (WHITE CELL) QUESTIONS SIMON (KETTLESPIDER) Is there a story behind your band name? We were in need of some coffee at rehearsal. I put the kettle on, and a little arachnid friend came out of the spout! He survived too.. Do you have anything special planned for the launch? We can’t wait to play our debut album Avadante, a concept album, in its entirety. What’s the ideal dream gig you would love to play? We would love to support a band like Opeth or Dream Theater! What is your favorite Kettlespider moment? It would have to be releasing our first album, after nearly a year of super hard work. After you slay the dragon do you rescue the princess from the dungeon, or head straight out for the feast? Rescue the princess and hope the other guys salvaged a doggy bag from the feast. Then.. to the microwave! WHITE CELL and KETTLESPIDER both launch their albums at The Evelyn Hotel this Saturday June 2.

Do you want to be added to the menu? Advertising/editorial inquiries - adam@beat.com.au NEW WINTER MENU

NEED SOME LOVE Whole Lotta Love is the bar that’ll fill the hole in your tequila soaked heart, paying tribute to the many kings of rock across the ages. Every weekend’s a party. This great little bar is decked out with iconic rock photos printed across all the walls; it is worth going down just to check these out. They also make a mean jaffle if you need a cheeky hit of food. 524 Lygon St, East Brunswick.

Iconic music venue Gertrude’s Brown Couch has come up with a fancy new winter menu for all of you north siders to try out. The usual Thursday night steak night is also not to be missed. Drop in if you want to kick back, listen to some great tunes and fill up on some great food. 30 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.

WEDNESDAY: NACHO TIME! Noise Bar in Brunswick host a great Wednesday night out – Word Up Wednesdays. Cheap beers and $5 nachos all night – no one dislikes nachos so if you’re contemplating what to have for dinner tonight…beers and nachos! 291 Albert St, Brunswick.

18 STEPS – A JAM AND JAR BAR....ABOVE A BAR 18 Steps is a new bar...above Libation at 302 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. It is a venue like no other in the middle of the queer, crazy, slightly obscured, heavily tattooed district of Melbourne. The extensive cocktail list has been determined under the eyes of some of the best bartenders in the industry. The majority of the cocktails have a jam base from orange marmalade accompanied with American honey bourbon to strawberry jam served with Frangelico and vodka, all shaken and served within a jam jar – no conventional glassware in this establishment and certainly no conforming to the norm. If you like to stick it to the man this is the place to do it. If a cocktail is not what you are feeling for the evening then this is not a bad thing! The premium spirit range is not only visually stimulating for an alcohol enthusiast but a orgasm of the mouth for people who appreciate the finer things in life. I need to say nothing about the

garnishes to be had at this soon to be urban institution; they are for your eyes and your eyes only. The attitude of the bar staff is something ‘very in the now’; they are actually attentive, there to recommend drinks suited to your flavour requirements and if a please and thank you doesn’t go astray they will be more than happy to be your best friend or possibly even your therapist – everything a good bar tender should be! Urban decor of dark grey and crisp white mixed with sparkling chandeliers and stenciled floors, bamboo and a variety of art. If you do not experience what 18 Steps has to offer then you are a jam fool. 18 Steps is located above Libation at 302 Brunswick St, Fitzroy.

SHHHHHH…IT’S A SECRET! Ever wanted to just munch down on a good burger, have a drink, hang out with good friends and listen to some good music...well Speak Easy bar is Chapel Street’s new best kept secret. Every Sunday they do exactly that: New York style burgers and some good tunes to kick back to on your Sunday afternoon. Get down there and check it out for yourself. Entry via alleyway at 221 Commercial Rd, South Yarra.

BEAT’S GUIDE TO EATING OUT IN MELBOURNE

.....................Beat Eats Page 27

INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP

with Christie Eliezer * Stuﬀ for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm DAINTY GIVES AZTEC MUSIC A LIFELINE A consortium led by promoter Paul Dainty has acquired Melbourne-based music distributor and reissues label Aztec Music. Aztec went into receivership in March after losing $350,000 from distributors and music stores closing down. The consortium owns Aztec’s assets including a vast catalogue of DVDs, CDs and LPs. Gryphon Entertainment, run by Glenn Elliot, will handle distribution. Ted Lethborg, who set up Aztec in 2004 with Aztecs drummer Gil Matthews, heads up the new operation. He said, “To get a second chance to continue the preservation of Australia’s rich musical heritage (via the Aztec Music reissue label) is an unexpected and welcome surprise. We are all looking forward to both working towards resurrecting the label and continuing our unique music importing model.” Dainty added, “Aztec Music has left an indelible mark on the Australian music scene. The new team looks forward to continuing the tradition through the reissue of classic Australian albums and the importation of rare and highly collectible compilations from overseas.”

STREAMING CHART COMING With all the streaming services arriving, ARIA is working on a streaming chart. ARIA chief exec Dan Rosen told us, “We are working with the providers to get the data necessary to begin producing a weekly streaming chart. As the year progresses, we look forward to an official streaming chart joining our extensive list of weekly ARIA charts.” Coming in a few weeks is an ARIA app on Spotify where “music fans can access the ARIA Charts each week.”

VAN HALEN IN WINTER? Are Van Halen heading for Oz in winter? That’s what singer David Lee Roth seemed to be suggesting in a recent video message. Explaining why they blew out their US tour, Roth said, “If we continue past July 4 and all the way into Australia and Japan then we’re asking for the robot zombie tour” and later quipped the band was “learning to speak Australian.”

DAREBIN FEAST, MELBOURNE FRINGE, TEAM UP Darebin City Council’s Darebin Music Feast (Sept 20 to Oct 7) and Melbourne Fringe Festival (Sept 26 to Oct 14) have teamed up for a new Independent Music Partnership. The idea is to further improve opportunities for the independent scene and the Darebin scene, with many Feast events to be included as part of the Fringe. Check out musicfeast.com.au and melbournefringe.com.au for more information.

NEW OWNERS FOR THE GALLERY NIGHTCLUB? Warrnambool’s Gallery nightclub is expected to have new owners. It had three bids late last week after the Timor Street nightclub and its highly-sought 3am licence was put on the market for the first time in 25 years for $3 million.

CLUB SUING FOR $2 MILLION OVER UNLAWFUL RAID The owners of the now-defunct Prahran nightclub White Charlie are suing the state government for $2 million over an illegal raid, The Sunday Age reported. According to papers filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria, nine Responsible Alcohol Victoria (RAV) inspectors and four Victoria Police cops raided the club in October 2010 armed with a search warrant obtained from a magistrate by claiming it was operating without a liquor licence. But club owner Cossari Smith Pty Ltd, says that RAV officers would have known the venue’s licence had been extended for 60 days shortly before the raid took place, but that RAV officials had pursued it “to fuck them over” because of a clash an official had with owners on a previous visit. During the raid, the club’s entire alcohol supply, computers and surveillance cameras were removed, and suppliers told not to supply White Charlie with booze because they had no licence. Owners claimed the club closed because they couldn’t operate without the seized goods which were never returned although no charges were laid.

SOUNDKILDA WINNERS

The Michael Shanks-directed video for Roadgeek’s On The Bordeline won best independent music video at SoundKilda, and tied for best music video with Children Collide’s Loveless (dir: David Michod). Best animation went to Kate Miller-Heidke’s The Tiger Inside Will Eat The Child (Lucy Dyson & Joseph Jensen), Luci Schroder was commended for Alpine’s Hands.

Beat Magazine Page 28

VICTORIA LEADS IN [V] PRESENTER SEARCH FINALISTS Channel [V]’s search for a new on-air presenter received 5,500 entries. A Top 20 is announced, with eight from Victoria, five from NSW, two from SA and one each from Qld and the ACT. Three of the Victorians already have some profile – Serge ‘son of George’ Negus is Enviro reporter for The Project, Marty Smiley became a Channel [V] Blog Jockey for B430 by winning a trip to Miami, and Amanda Grafanakis (X Factor contestant 2010, made it through to the live rounds). All 20 will be flown to Sydney on June 12 to take part in music and presenting challenges. The Top Four will be announced on The Riff program on Saturday June 16, one of whom will be voted for by viewers via vmusic.com.au. Voting puts you in the draw for $5,000 cash prize.

THINGS WE HEAR * The Temper Trap’s album this week became the 150th Australian performed album to reach #1 on the ARIA chart. Chart historian Gavin Ryan says they are the 78th Australian act to hit #1, the 46th Australian group, and gave Liberation Records its fifth chart topper. * Jimmy Barnes has laid to rest a 32-year-old urban myth that he was in line to replace Bon Scott in AC/DC. He told Classic Rock he was friends of theirs “but the idea of me joining AC/DC was never discussed.” * Neil Finn will play drums for Mental As Anything at this weekend’s Art Of Music charity dinner in Sydney for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. * Which blogger had to retract comments about the operations of a street paper after being threatened with legal action? * What is the special gig/event which Billboard club in the city is holding on Tuesday July 3 but keeping mum about? They’ve contacted music industry execs telling them to “save the date”. * At the end of Guns N’Roses show in Liverpool, Axl Rose thanked the crowd for putting up with his hobbling, a result of his falling off a table while partying in a Moscow nightclub two days before. “Be safe getting out of here," before he, crash, bang, accidentally fell down the stairs leading from the stage. * To ensure she’s not alone in Sydney, Lady Gaga is flying 20 friends out. * Coaster festival on the NSW central coast the latest to take a break this year. * Kylie Minogue set a new record on twitter as part of the marketing of her new single Timebomb. She told fans she’d unveil the track on her website if she could achieve 25,000 tweets with the #KylieTimebomb hashtag. The fans did it in 43 minutes, a new Twitter record.

BLACKIE BENEFIT AT TOTE The Melbourne music community is banding for a benefit for Hard Ons guitarist Peter ‘Blackie’ Black. It will be at the Tote in Collingwood on Saturday June 9 with a whopper lineup to be released soon, a raffle and a merch sale. A benefit in Sydney at the Sandringham Hotel – with Michele Madden, Simon Day, Mo Fkn Mayhem and Marcus De Pasquale – drew 250 and raised $3,800. To further help Blackie do so through Paypal rahn666@yahoo.com.

LIPS, WHITE: MORE WORLD RECORD SILLINESS The Flaming Lips intend to break Jay-Z’s 2006 record of seven shows in seven cities in a day. They’ll will try to set a new entry for the Guinness World Record for most live shows in 24 hours by playing eight cities on June 27. Singer Wayne Coyne murmured “to play and sing Flaming Lips songs at eight in the morning… well, I’m open to new experiences…” Meantime remember Jack White whinge that White Stripes attempt to go down in history for shortest concert of all time – to wit, a single cymbal noise – was turned down by the Guinness people as “trivial”. Undaunted, he’s trying something equally as trivial. "To break the world record for most metaphors in a single concert,’’ he said, tongue firmly in cheek.

NE OBLIVISCARIS LANDS WORLDWIDE DEAL Melbourne progressive violin-leaden metal band Ne Obliviscaris signed a world deal with Italian label Code666. Their debut album Portal Of I is out in Australia and NZ on Welkin Records, and they are touring Australia shortly. The band say of the Code 666 signing, “After so painstakingly creating Portal Of I over many years, we wanted to ensure we had people who truly believed in what we were doing working with us so that we could get it out to as many people across the world as possible. They are the second Australian band to sign with Code666, after thrashers Abortus.

UK DANCE LABEL CR2 SAYS, UH, G’DAY UK dance label Cr2 Australia has set up operations in Australia as a joint venture with Germany’s Kontor Records. Already launching with Nicky Romero Se7en, the local imprint will focus on the dance compilation market with its Live & Direct series. Mark Brown, one half of MYNC, was in Australia in March to set things up, and said ten tracks were lined up for release.

JOY TEAMS UP FOR WRANGLER Gay and lesbian radio station Joy 94.9 (joy.org.au) has secured Essendon Jeep as a sponsor for its June 1 – 8 radiothon (join the Joy ride, is their tag line). Its grand prize is a two door Jeep Wrangler Sport, worth over $35,000. The radiothon is launched on Friday from 6.30pm at DnM (119 Commercial Rd, South Yarra) with sets from Empire Live, Luke Gallagher, Peter Wilson, Jade Leonard, Bonnie Anderson, Bobby McCumber and Tina Del Twist.

LAUGHING OUTLAW: DEALS MEANS COMMUNITY RADIO SUB Sydney label Laughing Outlaw’s deal with Will And The Indians is the first of their new deal with a clause that the act has to be a fully-paid up subscriber to a community radio station. Co-boss Stuart Coupe says, “Community radio is beyond important for a label such as Laughing Outlaw and its artists – and I’ve been a volunteer at and paid up supporter of FBi radio for almost nine years now. I meet far too many artists who expect community radio play but don’t return that support. From now on I want all Laughing Outlaw artists to financially support at least one community radio station. I don’t mind if it’s a large or small station and where in Australia it is.” The Indians signed to FBi.

TAKING IT TO THE REGIONS Three Melbourne acts were among 15 successful recipients of the latest round of the Contemporary Music Touring Program funding, announced by arts minister Simon Crean. Embarking on regional tours will be Aurora Jane (15,000) for a 16-date national tour in October, Anna Smyrk & The Appetites ($8,392 for a three week tour through three states to promote their debut EP) and DEAD ($10, 272 for a five week 21 show-run through November and December). See arts.gov.au/regional/cmtp.

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES..... WWW.BEAT.COM.AU/TV

LIFELINES Expecting: Brooke McClymont of country act The McClymonts and husband singer/songwriter and Oz Idol 2009 semi-finalist, Adam Eckersley. Split: Katy Perry and Florence + the Machine guitarist Robert Ackroyd because their careers were keeping them apart. Engaged: James Righton, singer and keyboardist of The Klaxons and actress Keira Knightley. They met last March via model Alexa Chung. Dating: One Direction’s Zayn Malik and Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards. Dating: 30 Seconds To Mars’ Jared Leto and Anne V, ex of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. Injured: Florence Welch gouged her bare foot on a nail after tripping coming off the stage at a Perth show by Florence and the Machine. She hobbled through an encore before apologising to fans for “bleeding all over the stage”. Hospitalised: US folk musician and master flatpicker Doc Watson listed as “critical” after falling at his home in North Carolina. Ill: health problems have seen guitarist Matt Roberts exit 3 Doors Down. Hospitalised: Babyshambles’ bassist Drew McConnell for emergency spinal surgery. Last July, he broke his ribs and injured his spine, knee and shoulder when he was knocked off his bike. Recovering: Bobby Womack given the all-clear from colon cancer, after being diagnosed with the illness in March. In Court: Usher and ex-wife Tameka’s custody battle over their two young sons is getting nastier. The singer testified that his ex had spat and tried to fight his girlfriend. Tameka says Usher provoked her. In Court: Gareth Crosskey, British hacker who got into the Facebook page of Justin Bieber’s gal Selena Gomez and threatened to publish their emails. Died: Chicago engineer Eugene Polley who invented the TV remote, 96. Died: ardent St Louis Led Zep fan, who changed his name last year from George Blackburn to Led Zeppelin II, 64, from a heart attack. Died: US drummer Mark Bam Bam McConnell (Blackfoot, Sebastian Bach), kidney and liver failure.

I FEEL INCLINED TO BLOW MY MIND… The street value of cannabis seized at last year’s Glastonbury Festival was £44,869 – and nearly three times higher than that seized at the Isle Of Wight festival (£27,410). Third was Bestival, which is also on the Isle Of Wight, with £18,479 worth of drugs seized. Each festival seems to have a preference for a drug. Glastonbury, for instance, saw a marked rise in the use of ketamine – a horse tranquiliser (well, it is held on a farm) – although piperazine and cannabis remain the most popular. Cocaine is the drug of choice at the Isle Of Wight, ecstasy for Bestival, and cannabis/ecstasy for the V Festivals.

MAX SHARAM WANTS YOUR HELP

Max Sharam, of Coma fame has been low profile, working on music on docos and doing one-woman shows. This month she has the chance to record in New York with Malcolm Burn (Lanois, Emmylou, Iggy). My Mother’s Maiden Name is her first CD since A Million Year Girl (Warner, 1995). She’s trying to raise $11,000 by early next week at indiegogo.com/ MaxSharam-MyMothersMaidenName. Perks include a thank you on CD ($50), CD and her art book ($100) a song written about you ($1,000) and a private gig for you ($4,000).

SASKWATCH SIGN TO NORTHSIDE RECORDS Melbourne nine-piece soul band Saskwatch signed to Northside Records, the label offshoot of the store. Owner Chris Gill added, “Saskwatch and Northside Records are the perfect fit. They are both funky and ace. Together we hope to launch a great sound and a new label that will serve up more funk than John McEnroe’s headband.” A single drops July followed by an album a month later. The band has a Thursday night residency in June at Cherry Bar.

SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK’N’ROLL We’ve long suspected it! A study by the Erasmus MC University Medical Center in the Netherlands found a link between sex, drugs and rock music. 30% of those who listen loudly to music on their MP3 players are more likely to light up a joint in the last month. Of those who go to clubs and concerts where music is blaring, 48% are more likely not to use condoms when fucking and six times more likely to binge drink. The study used 944 students aged 15 to 25. The researchers emphasise they are not suggesting that listening to music leads to high risk behavior. “It could be related to the existential period in life that constitutes adolescence and emerging adulthood, not only because of the positive feeling to be alive and the experience of existential meaning, but also as something that can fill existential emptiness.” So there…

BENNETTS LANE JAZZ CLUB BY ZOË RADAS

“I’m really sorry,” laughs Megg Evans in her sweet, husky voice, “but I was the one who started the door charge. I didn’t even have a tin to put it in, I put it in my pockets. Totally insane.” Evans is referring to her appointment as door person at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club in March of 1993, two months after she’d met the owner when she was just 17. Having moved from Perth to Melbourne, the melodious young woman who has now been at the club for almost its life was managing it by her next birthday. In November, Bennetts Lane will be 20 years old and Evans’ path during those years has twisted along in tandem with the venue. Fourteen weeks ago she gave birth to her first child and it’s a beautiful symbiosis, with her describing meeting Bennetts’ owner Michael Tortini and moving into her apartment above the lane in the early ‘90s as “like finding a new family.” Despite becoming a world-class club and hosting musical iconoclasts and legends such as Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Allan Browne, Harry Connick Jr., Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau and one infamous Prince gig, Evans says it’s astonishing the club has managed to make it this far whilst maintaining its integrity and true purpose. In the wider den of Melbourne, her take on the future of musicianship in our city is direct. “I think there’s this weird conflict going on, because we have probably the largest percentage of Australia’s great musicians living here, and yet not really enough infrastructure to support them financially. So they all have to get teaching jobs, which means next year [we’ll] have even more really good musicians and even less places for them to play.” The outcome has got to be noise restriction re-evaluations, betterdesigned venues, or more “guerrilla” kinds of venues, she believes. Bennetts has always done a brilliant job of getting our star players on the stage. “It is about putting the really cool musos on,” she admits, but also about “care and respect. Melbourne, or Australia, has this idea that the world is better than them. And I’ve listened to the world’s best. And nine times out of ten I’ll pick an Aussie to play, because their music is incredible.” In 20 years the average charge at Bennetts’ door has gone from nothing, to the $3 Evans instigated in ’93, to $15 today. “You’ve got [American pianist] Brad Mehldau

who charges $75 a ticket. Then we’ve got [Australian pianist] Joe Chindamo, who, when he’s overseas or on an international tour, is playing shoulder-to-shoulder with [the best], and he’s just as good. And he’s charging $15 to get in. I mean if you have a look at what cinemas cost,” she points out. She names Jex Saarelaht (her “first musical crush”) as a case in point: “He’s one of Australia’s most amazingly incredible pianists, and yet has no profile. He’s such a perfectionist that he doesn’t perform that often. But on the other side he has no Facebook; he doesn’t get into social media. PR people have a really hard time with him because there’s really only one story to tell and that’s just being a great musical professional.” Evans’ son cries a little in the background of our call and it’s interesting to wonder who the next Aussies to navigate this path and have these conversations will be. Having sung with my high school jazz band one heady evening several years ago at Bennetts, it’s clear that Evans and Tortini are serious about supporting young musicians from an early age. “I have approached Monash and VCA about getting their students involved in more Bennetts projects, and I’ve started what’s called Jazz Commons, which is a not-for-profit program so I can get young people more involved with creating their own scene, in a sense,” she explains. Having taken on guest lecturer positions at these institutions, she talks to students about “what

life’s like on the outside, and how [to] go about getting a gig, what the scene is like out there, considering the death of the record label and seeing the advent of this digital era.” She also aids students with their grant applications, something older musicians could probably benefit from as a number seem to lament their inability to produce something the Arts Council finds compelling. “It’s really interesting to see how kids think about what they find valuable in their own work, and how they position that on a page,” she says warmly. As for the purple dynast’s secret show in 2003, Evans breathes through the details even though she’s likely been asked about it a hundred times. “He chose the small room. He only let in about 45 people. There was like 5,000 people in the lane: we had to pull down all the roller doors to stop them from breaking in. There were people on the roof next door trying to break into our roof: it was pretty incredible. [Prince and his band] came down the stairs playing Take The ‘A’ Train.” In another tribute to the club’s sterling reputation, Evans recalls the night Chick Corea played. “He has a stage manager, a tour manager and a personal

manager, so he’s got three guys on the ball for him, so you know you don’t talk to him. And he’s a Scientologist so we had [a very specific rider]. He hasn’t been playing club gigs for years. And he came up to me, grabbed my arm and said ‘Look, I just want to tell you something: You give me faith in clubs again.’ He wanted to stay in touch because this is the only club he wants to play in now.” Later this year, Bennetts will be celebrating its birthday with a party Evans describes as “a week of great gigs, with great local musos, to celebrate what we do and the way we do it.” At the suggestion of a giant cake, ideally with someone jumping out of it, Evans gives a trademark sultry chuckle and suggests Allan Browne for the spot. Considering her status as loyal lifeblood of the club, perhaps it should be herself. BENNETTS LANE JAZZ CLUB marks its 20th anniversary in the last week of November this year. Check the venue’s site closer to the date for more details: bennettslane.com. The club is located at 25 Bennetts Lane, Melbourne.

Jazz on Film Celebrating the work of two artists who found their muse in the music of jazz: Woody Allen and composer Terence Blanchard. Including a Q&A with special guest Terence Blanchard following the screening of Cadillac Records on Monday 4 June. Presented in conjunction with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

Film Season > ACMI Cinemas Sunday 3 June - Saturday 9 June 2012 ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne www.acmi.net.au/ﬁlm

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Beat Magazine Page 45

JOSE JAMES:

MELBOURNE JAZZ FESTIVAL BY KRISSI WEISS

Jose James is a part of the new wave of jazz performers. Jazz began as a pioneering musical pursuit where artists broke the rules and purged away the rigid constructs of classical music. It was as drug-fuelled and hedonistic as the rock of the ‘60s and ‘70s or the nihilism of the ‘90s. Somewhere along the way it got trapped in its own mystique and it is artists like Jose James, who combines hip hop with jazz artistry and neo soul heart, that are paving the way for the future of jazz. The Melbourne International Jazz Festival is arriving once again and amongst the impressive lineup will be James and his new show. When I chat with James he has just received the mastered copy of his new album and is about to embark on the maiden listen. “I am really excited to hear what was done,” James says genuinely. “It was mastered by Tom Coyne who did Adele’s 21, Love Deluxe, Chris Brown and so many classics. The mix is already done so I know what it sounds like essentially. I just want to hear how it sounds in the world. I’ll play it on all of my systems at home, in the car, have a few other people listen to it and just try and let the album be in the world. If something jumps out at you, you notice that, but you really listen as an audience.” His musical journey began as the son of Panamanian saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist and despite a grounding in traditional jazz, he has journeyed into his own sound. How that sound was formed, is something I am interested in. “It comes from having a solid background in jazz and a love of soul music and being around created people,” he says. “I was inﬂuenced by a lot of musical pioneers that combined a lot of diﬀerent genres together. I know what I want to do so it’s just been about meeting the right people to do that. Fortunately I got to meet Pino Palladino and got him involved as co-producer on this album and that was amazing.”

“I PLAYED LAST WEEK AND THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THEIR 50S WHO STAYED ALL NIGHT.” Palladino is primarily a fretless bass guitarist who has played with everyone from the John Mayer Trio to The Who. His style incorporates jazz, rock, rhythm and blues and soul. In short, he’s freaking amazing. So what role did he play as producer for James? “It was a very Motown style where we had writers and engineers, Palladino and myself, and we had musicians,” he explains. “We had a lot of ideas of getting the right musician for the right song. It was a lot of fun working stuﬀ out together. He brought this amazing vibe and everyone had to step up in the studio. He was doing a lot of work so he also knew we had to make the time in the studio count. I have a lot of respect for him and he is the absolute best bass player in the world.” James’ genre-bending approach to jazz may be jarring to some purist in his audience and I ask him what he experiences in the overall response to his music, particularly from an older crowd. “They like it, actually,” he says. “I would say that there are some older people that want to hear things a certain way in the classic, sit down jazz style. A very small percentage of the jazz people get turned oﬀ by seeing guys wearing Nike’s or street clothes and it’s a cultural thing. I played last week and there were people in their 50s who stayed all night, it wasn’t a sit down club and they loved it. People who love what jazz is about, love what I do. There is always going to be people who don’t like something.” Given that the genre has been plagued by the assumption that the standards interpreted in a gold star way is the only approach one can take with jazz, where is it going to journey into the future? The misconceptions around jazz are rife. Some lovers of jazz are threatened by an original tune let alone one that breaks the rules of how it should be performed. Those that don’t understand jazz think that it is unenjoyable and somehow removed from their beloved genres of hip hop, soul and funk – forgetting that jazz is the foundations of those genres. With someone like James, who turns jazz on its head, how does he see the attitude towards jazz changing? “I think jazz used to be a lot more creative and free,” he says. “When you look back on Miles Davis and those people, they were taking chances all of the time. They were pushing boundaries. I think that’s what the next generation of jazz musicians are trying to do. There are people who are trying to align themselves with beat makers and producers and it’s becoming a youth culture as well. Jazz thrives on creativity so there is this whole new way to look at jazz’s role in culture and in music.” JOSE JAMES plays Melbourne Town Hall with McCoy Tyner and Chris Potter in A Contemporary Exploration Of John Coltrane & Johnny Hartmann on Sunday June 3 and at The Forum Theatre with Future Now on Friday June 8. Beat Magazine Page 46

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AMERICAN SONGBOOK SERIES:

THE MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE BY KRISSI WEISS

The diversity of Avigail Herman’s career is almost threatening. Despite her daunting resume she is a fast-talking, fast-thinking, and creative inspiration to talk to. Warm and approachable is not the first thing you would imagine from someone whose career has spread its tentacles into so many pursuits. As a performer she has spread herself between musical theatre, session work (that I learned involved almost every genre of music) and cabaret. She is also responsible for the sustainability of musical theatre into the future via her creation of what would eventually be known as the Diploma Of Musical Theatre at NIDA – a position she embraced after many years as the head of music at the national cauldron for up and comers. She is a consummate performer, educator and creator and now she is rebirthing her tale Hey World, Here I Am – The Streisand Story, as a part of the American Songbook series being held at The Melbourne Recital Centre. “I am actually extending the show bit,” Herman says as we embark on a discussion of her plans for Hey World… this time around. “I did it a long time ago and I went everywhere and that was great but then I didn’t do it for a very long time. Then last year I was asked by the Melbourne Cabaret Festival to actually do a shortened version. So now I am redoing the show again to put it back into a normal format. In terms of repertoire I have used that to help choose the songs I will put in. It’s Streisand so you have to include the songs that people would expect but there is a range in there that has given me quite a sphere to choose other material.” When something falls under the unfortunate description of a tribute show (don’t think tacky rock interpretations and the local RSL here), there is an assumption that the performer may attempt to become the subject, particularly when it is being performed by someone with such a strong background in musical theatre and, therefore, in the adoption of characters. “Oh yeah. I don’t do her at all,” she explains. “I didn’t want to put myself in that position. People do that Featuring and that is fine but I’m an artist in my own right and that was one of the things that I really took a long time to think about before I even developed the show because I never wanted to do her. I wanted to ¯ USA do a show about her as a performer, primarily. All of the stories that I tell are anecdotal and they either refer to me or to her or they refer to how we might ¯ USA connect or how we might not connect, as the case may be. The music is all hers and the story is about her but I tell the story through anecdotes and they all link up so that when people see the show they should walk away understanding a bit more about her but understanding a bit about me as well.” When approaching a show about Streisand and her heady career, the decision of what to include, and more importantly, what to omit in a show like this is a challenge. “The woman’s had a 50 year career so there is so much music to choose from,” she laughs. “The stuff that I really like of hers is her early stuff, the quirky funny stuff that she did, that, if you aren’t an avid Streisand fan, you may not know. I do stuff from Funny Girl and The Way We Were, which people expect, but I also get to go into her pop territory as well that she did in the ‘70s and ‘80s. It has given me a big range to tell stories that are relevant to her career and to my career…In terms of her being a female artist she is quite a maverick. In terms of opening up doors for other female artists in terms of producing, in terms of directing, in terms of writing. She really has been quite a maverick and there are lots of stories to tell.” Opening Act Given the fact the show incorporates so many differThe Cactus Channel ¯ AUS ent musical genres, something Herman’s career has been dominated by, I ask how she approaches some of the more pop-driven music without committing the great crimes of musical theatre saturation that the likes of Glee commit on a weekly basis. “My parallel career to theatre and everything else is that I have been a session singer for years and years and so it’s studio after studio,” she says. “Mostly I do voiceovers now. But as a session singer you sing anything from pop stuff to opera on the same day so it’s pushing gears all the way. I have always loved good music regardless of where it comes from. My biggest thing is that I tell stories through song so language is really important and ideas are really important. The thing that changes is that you have to understand stylistically how to change from one to another. You have to sing appropriately to the style you are in. I do want to tell stories, it doesn’t matter what style it is. Musically, you shift gears, but storytelling is storytelling.”

Australian Premiere

Future Now Robert Glasper Experiment José James Taylor McFerrin ¯ USA The Forum Friday 8 June

UNDER-18s SHOW

Saskwatch

¯ AUS

The Hi-Fi Sunday 10 June

Hey World, Here I Am – The Streisand Story Will be at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday July 20 and Saturday July 21 as part of the AMERICAN SONGBOOK SERIES, which runs every weekend in July. All event details at melbournerecital.com.au.

melbournejazz.com LIQ2461-BM01

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Beat Magazine Page 47

JAZZ ON FILM

BY PETER HODGSON

The marriage of music and film is a long and mostly harmonious one. Even back when films had no sound, live musicians provided musical accompaniment for the images. Jazz and ‘talkies’ came into their own right around the same time, and it’s hard to think of the classic Hollywood of the ‘40s and ‘50s within your daydream being complemented by a jazz soundtrack. Jazz On Film at ACMI explores the relationship between these two art forms – how they mix and mingle, and how the emphasis shifts between the two. The selections for the fourth annual program are works related to two very different but both very jazzinfluenced artists: composer Terence Blanchard and director Woody Allen. Beginning on Sunday June 3 and running until Saturday June 9, the program includes three films scored by Blanchard (9/11 fallout film 25th Hour; Chess Records biopic Cadillac Records and serial killer profile Summer Of Sam) and a pair of Woody Allen classics (the gypsy jazz love letter Sweet And Lowdown, and the gangster farce Bullets Over Broadway). Screening alongside the season is the Australian premiere of Woody Allen: A Documentary. Blanchard himself will participate in a Q&A related to Cadillac Records. “The idea behind this year’s Jazz On Film program, the seed of it, was instigated by the fact that Terence Blanchard is coming down for the Melbourne Jazz Festival,” ACMI film programmer Spiro Economopoulos says. “Terence Blanchard has worked with a lot of people, particularly Spike Lee, and we were really keen to look at some of his work.” At the same time, Woody Allen: A Documentary surfaced. “We thought it would be great to look at two different artists working in different fields of the film world and how they’ve incorporated jazz into their own work.” Allen was an obvious choice for the way he has let jazz influence his work, sometimes subtly such as the threads of music running through Radio Days, and sometimes explicitly, such as in the case of Sweet And Lowdown, which tells the story of a gypsy jazz guitarist forever living in the shadow of genre great Django Reinhardt. In fact, there’s actually a documentary – Wild Man Blues – about Allen’s love of jazz, and it almost made it to the Jazz On Film programme, but at the end of the day the decision was made to focus on films that use jazz in a unique or intrinsic way. “Even something like Bullets Over Broadway, it’s not a direct link but it’s more about the jazz era, that time.” Sweet And Lowdown (1999) is certainly not one of Allen’s best-known films, yet within the context of Jazz On Film it’s certainly the most blatant. “It’s a great movie, and Sean Penn is so good in it. It’s such a melancholy film, so bittersweet. Allen doesn’t usually deal directly with the subject of jazz, and it was interesting to see him depict a jazz artist. And it works really well. Jazz seems to exist in a different time for Woody Allen. It’s very much related to a particular timeframe: jazz of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s. I don’t think his films ever have contemporary avant

garde jazz stuff!” So who would Economopoulos like to see a biopic made about? “Apparently there’s a Miles Davis movie being made,” he says. “I’m actually surprised that Miles Davis hasn’t had a film made about him before this! I love Kind Of Blue. A friend of mine bought it for me for my birthday on vinyl a few years ago. I knew some of the tracks before that, but it’s such a wonderful, great album. I really, really love it.” So what is it about jazz that makes it so timeless? There are jazz recordings from the ‘40s that don’t sound as dated as music from even the ‘90s. “I think as a genre it’s one that constantly evolves,” Economopoulos says. “It’s got such range. It’s avant garde, it’s traditional, its roots are really diverse and the strands that have come into it are really potent – blues, big band – and Terence Blanchard’s really interesting for that because I think his film scores really reflect that. The way he did something like Summer Of Sam, for example, it’s got a real edge to it and it’s very dynamic, and then you’ve got something like 25th Hour which is really elegiac and sombre, and it really reflects the moods of it. I think Woody Allen is more traditional in the way he uses jazz.” For those looking for a little context before they check out Jazz On Film, Economopoulos recommends Ken Burns’ Jazz documentary. “I just thought it was so great. It really got me more interested in jazz in a big way, made me want to discover more of how it works, looking to different artists… it was really wonderful. And I think what I liked about it a lot was looking at the heritage of it.” JAZZ ON FILM runs from Sunday June 3 Saturday June 9 2012 at ACMI. Head to acmi.net. au for full schedule and ticketing details.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

ALBARE ITD

Deﬁne your genre in ﬁve words or less: Music that makes you happy. Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like? Check for instance on jango.com/music/albare and you will read 14,000 comments of what they are saying. What do you love about making music? It’s an indulgence, and it’s a privilege to have people listen to your works, therefore I like to make my listeners feel good. What can the audience expect from your live show? An exciting experience as we will be de-constructing and reinventing our tunes right there.

When’s the gig and with whom? Tuesday June 5 at The Melbourne Recital Centre, with the original band that recorded my album Long Way in New York with me. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? Six of them, they are ACID LOVE, What Goes Around, Midnight Blues, After The Rain, Travel Diary, Long Way. You can get them from any good record shop or iTunes. If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be? I have the ultimate band. I’m living the dream! How many people can say that? ALBARE iTD play The Melbourne Recital Centre as part of Melbourne Jazz festival on Tuesday June 5.

WHERE IT’S AT:

Promote your upcoming gig, venue, restaurant, record store, or latest release in Melbourne’s newest dedicated Jazz print. To discuss campaign options, contact Jessica Riley: jessica@furstmedia.com.au Ph: 03 8414 9791

Beat Magazine Page 48

Dedicated Jazz/ Improvised Music Venues:

Venues Hosting Jazz/ Improvised Music Events:

Bennetts Lane, 25 Bennetts Lane, Melbourne 9663 2856 Dizzy’s Jazz Club, 381 Burnley St, Richmond 9428 1233 The Paris Cat, 6 Goldie Place, Melbourne 9642 4711 Uptown Jazz Café, Upstairs 177 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9416 4546

303, 303 High St, Northcote 9482 4577 Bar Open, 317 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9415 9601 Blue Diamond Club, 15/123 Queen St, Melbourne 8601 2720 Gertrudes Brown Couch, 30 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 9417 6420 Open Studio, 204 High St, Northcote

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MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE PRESENTS

American Songbook 2012

6–28 July

The best of American popular song in cabaret performed by an incredible range of artists. TICKETS $45 ($40 CONCE S SION)

Simple Gifts Dear Blossom Julia Messenger Quintet

Janet Seidel Trio

6 & 7 July

12 & 13 July

Gershwin Songbook

Hey World, Here I Am

Moon River

The Streisand Story

Michelle Nicolle Quartet

Joe Chindamo Trio 14 July

27 & 28 July

Avigail Herman 20 & 21 July

MORE INFO & TICKETS:

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER

MELBOURNERECITAL.COM.AU | BOX OFFICE 03 9699 3333 CNR SOUTHBANK BLVD & STURT ST, SOUTHBANK, VICTORIA Transaction fees may apply to bookings

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Beat Magazine Page 49

GRAVEYARD TRAIN BY PATRICK EMERY

Graveyard Train will soon be heading back up to Tamworth to renew the band’s volatile relationship with the local and visiting country music population. It’s an association guitarist and vocalist Nick Finch says has its ups and downs – but that’s what makes it fun. “We’ve been there three years in a row,” Finch says. “We go down pretty well there, but there’s definitely a group of people up there who really don’t like us. There’s a country singer called Reg Poole who wrote a song about us called Don’t Let Them Murder Tamworth, which is about us ruining country music – which is quite flattering, really. I don’t know what they’ll think of our new album, because we really take liberties with the whole country thing,” Finch laughs. Graveyard Train’s new record, Hollow, continues in the band’s idiosyncratic country music path, though this time around the zombies and werewolves of previous albums have been replace with themes of mortality and religious salvation. Finch comes from a Catholic family, though professes to have little ongoing religious affiliation. “I’m not really religious, but I’m quite interested in religion. I grew up with all these religious icons in the house – I like the symbolism of religion,” he says. Finch says it’s his interest with that symbolism that underpins the religious aspects of the songs he contributed to. “I was writing a lot about death on this album,” Finch says. “Even with Hollow, I tried to write a song about my missus, but it ended up being about death,” he laughs. Perhaps the high point of such themes is the captivating Stooges-esque The Doomsday Blues. “I think that death and the end of everything were on my mind – not that I’m a very morbid person. With the religious overtones, what attracts me is the symbolism – it’s really powerful stuff. Religion ran the world for a while – and it still does to some extent. Tackling the big issues – that’s the Graveyard Train!” Finch says. The recording of followed a welcome break in Graveyard Train’s touring schedule where the band members aggregate disparate and nascent songwriting ideas with a view to putting together a new album. “It’s been two years since the last album,” Finch says. “We went through a dry patch with songwriting because we were touring really heavily. It was that whole endless on the road thing. But when we decided to do another album, about half the album came together pretty quickly.” As a seven-member band, Graveyard Train has to navigate the fine line between democratic consensus and individual leadership. “We’re sort of a democracy,” Finch says. “We’ve got a mum and dad in the band – I’m the mum and Josh, our banjo player, is the dad,” he laughs. “You need some sort of leadership, or otherwise it’s like herding cats. You need some sort of dictatorship, but you don’t need to take it to the Billy Corgan level.” Finch says Hollow was a return to the ‘fun’ style of previous Graveyard Train efforts. “It was a really fun process doing this album,” he says. “We spent a lot of time together – we felt like we were back in the very early days.”

“ANY GIG IS A GOOD GIG – LIKE PIZZA”

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With its relentless touring regime, including regular forays across Australia and trips to the United States and Europe, Graveyard Train has established itself as one of the local music scene’s hardest working bands. While Finch says Graveyard Train has tried to curtail some of its more excessive on tour behaviour, the band retains its fondness for the touring circuit. “We’re certainly not sick of it,” Finch laughs. “But it can be physically brutal. This band basically started out as a drunken idea between friends – we never expected to be serious musicians. There are always been a lot of benders on tour, but we’ve been cutting down because we’re getting older. We’re trying to tour a bit smarter, and I’ve even given up smoking. I think we’re getting older and wiser,” Finch says. Graveyard Train’s recent tours overseas have provided a particular highlight – Finch nominates a gig in a Belgian town he describes as ‘the Bendigo of Belgium’ where an enthusiastic crowd of punks showed their affection by hurling glasses as a notable touring moment – and even Tamworth, with its occasional Bundaberg rum and coke encounters with the locals, has its special moments. “Any gig is a good gig – like pizza,” Finch laughs. While Graveyard Train has plenty of fans across Australia, and overseas, Finch doesn’t see that the band has escaped the clutches of musical poverty quite yet. “It’s always fun, but there is definitely a point you go through when there’s this horrible patch when you get fired from your job because you can’t be around all the time, but you’re only playing to 20 people in Toowoomba,” Finch says. “We’re still in that period to some extent, but hopefully there’s an end to it. I think it’s hard for most musicians to get beyond that point and make a living from playing music.” In the short term Graveyard Train is hitting the road again to promote Hollow; a few irons in the fire should hopefully see the band return overseas to both the United States and Europe. Beyond that, there’s always a chance of a radical image change. “We were overseas recently and we were laughing at ourselves, and what we were doing,” Finch says. “We came up with the idea of a new band called The Normal Men, and we’d write songs about really normal things like forgetting the shopping list at the supermarket.” GRAVEYARD TRAIN play The Hi-Fi on Friday June 1 and Saturday June 2. Hollow is out now through Spooky Records.

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Beat Magazine Page 51

LIZ STRINGER

BY PATRICK EMERY

It’s serendipitous that Melbourne singer-songwriter Liz Stringer is standing in the temperate night air when she calls for our interview. “I haven’t got mobile coverage here, so I’m using a pay phone,” explains Stringer. The sun has already set in the Kimberley region where Stringer played the previous evening. Stringer is mid-way through her packed national tour to promote her new album, Warm In The Darkness, and enjoying the chance to visit remote locations. “I’ve played three times in the Kimberleys, and I’m now starting to get people coming back to my gigs. There’s definitely a bit of personal pride to that.” The rich, soulful southern rock aesthetic of Warm In The Darkness represents a departure from the acoustic style represented on Stringer’s previous albums, Tides Of Time, Pendulum, and Soon. “I’ve been wanting to make this album for a while,” Stringer says. “With this album the songs are more poppier, and I’ve never afforded myself the luxury of a horn section. I don’t always write in a dark, folk sort of style. I suppose with this record I was influenced by Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen stuff – that guitar pop/rock style.” Stringer even goes so far as to admit to an affection for the commercial simplicity of Billy Joel. “I like those neat tidy pop songs – even if that makes me uncool with my friends!” Stringer laughs. Like any songwriter, Stringer hopes her lyric writing is also evolving, with life changing experiences having an effect on the words and narratives that come into her head. “I think the lyrics are always at the centre of the song,” she says. “As you evolve as a human being, your experience becomes broader. Hopefully I have more to draw from. And I suppose in a lyrical context I’d like to think that I’m getting tighter,” Stringer says. While there are a couple of songs on Warm In

The Darkness that Stringer says are based directly on her own personal experiences, the remainder of the material is largely fictional. “I think a lot of people assume that your lyrics are autobiographical,” Stringer says. “Songs have always been vessels for stories. I grew up listening to a lot of Irish folk, and not all of those stories are based on the songwriter’s actual experiences.” As principal songwriter and bandleader, Stringer takes the lead role in the studio. Stringer says she doesn’t consider herself a dictator in the recording context; she is, however, very tough on her own performance. “I have a fair bit of control when we’re recording,” Stringer says. “I get very impatient with myself – I get shitty with myself and probably make it difficult for everyone else,” she laughs. “But I’m always open to new ideas, although I always try to make the final decision. The whole thing about having someone else to help produce with the record is that they don’t think like you. You expect them to know what they’re talking about. And I’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s working when we’re in the studio, and what’s not,” Stringer says. Stringer is in the midst of an extensive tour that’s taken her

from regional Victoria, to New South Wales, to Darwin, across to Western Australia and back to her home state. “I don’t mind so much being on the road, but when you get tired it’s hard to break out of that feeling when you’re touring,” she says. “For some reason I seem to start touring at the beginning of winter, so I caught by the change of temperature and season. And I don’t bounce back from hangovers as well as I once did, plus I need more sleep these days,” she laughs. Apart from the perennial enjoyment of playing to her hometown Melbourne crowd, Stringer nominates her recent show in Darwin as a current highlight; the lowlight was locking her keys in the hire van in Sydney – with all the gear still locked inside – and having to pay $400 to rectify the stuff-up. “That just tipped me over the edge,” she laughs. A touring grant courtesy of the Commonwealth government has, thankfully, helped things along. “There’s no way that we could have done this

tour without the grant – financially, we couldn’t have done it otherwise,” Stringer says. “The tour has helped me to establish relationships with venues. For bands who’ve done a lap or two, getting access to touring grants is part of what you have to do,” she says. Stringer has recently expanded the lineup of her band to include partner and cult Melbourne troubadour Van Walker on guitar. Stringer dismisses any suggestion that she orders Walker around on stage and on the road. “No,” she laughs. “Van’s been opening for us, and also playing in the band. The other guys in the band have kids, so it’s hard for them when we’re touring. It’s great having your partner on the road.”

makes for a pretty diverse scene, and builds up the skills of the working musos around here.” After releasing the Every Penny EP in 2007, the band last year released their debut album, Baby, I’ll Play. The long-player garnered the title of Best Blues And Roots Album 2011 through iTunes, an achievement of which Oliver and co. are justifiably proud. Yet it was not achieved without significantly hard slog. “The process of recording the album was much more complicated than the EP,” Oliver says. “There was a fair bit to do in terms of pre-production, and whilst the bluesy stuff comes to us quite naturally, there was a lot of other layering that took a while. I guess we’ve always seen ourselves as primarily a live band, but it had got the point where people at our gigs were

saying things like, ‘Come on, you guys have been a band for more than five years, just release a bloody album already!’ So we headed into the studio and laid it all down. I was listening to the album the other day, actually, and think it’s a pretty good representation of the whole period of time since the five of us came together. Somehow we captured what we are as a live prospect, and I think that’s where we really spring to life. Although I’m certain that I’ll spend the rest of my life endeavoring to match the energy of the live show even more fittingly in an album format… But then, that’s just the way it goes.”

instrumentation to bring these sounds to life or doing it within a digital context. “It will be digital,” he explains. “With a program called Ableton Live that I have been using for my more hip hop derived stuff. We’ve been working out how to do it all live which is interesting. Working out how to program the sounds that we want and how to trigger those.” People always appropriate artists and their music to the degree that they are excited by something new, yet sometimes want them to stay in a box. Artists are condemned for sounding the same and yet people are jolted when they take a new approach to their sound. Grunwald feels that his music is still very much his sound, albeit with a lot more texture. “I think

people can still hear the same energy that has always been there it’s just that there are different sounds being delivered,” he says. “But the same idea is there. It’s just a case of using different textures and sounds to produce something that has always been very rhythmic and very soulful. People have accepted the changes because it is still as relatable as the early stuff was. There are now just different ways the beats and melodies come across.”

LIZ STRINGER plays The Corner Hotel on Sunday June 10 and The Oakleigh Bowling Club on Friday June 22. Warm In The Darkness is out now through Vitamin Records.

THE THOMAS OLIVER BAND

BY BENJAMIN COOPER

To say that The Thomas Oliver Band are excited about their first international tour would be something of an understatement. “There’s nothing wrong with touring New Zealand,” front man Thomas Oliver explains, “But this Australian trip is going to be the first time the five of us have all headed overseas together. We literally cannot wait!” The bluesy band from Wellington has existed in some shape or form since 2005, expanding from their original three-piece in 2007 to the present fiveheaded beast that regularly cuts a swathe through their whisky-soaked fans. The increased population of the band required a period of adjustment – though it has yielded significant rewards. “It probably took between six and twelve months to incorporate the new instrumental elements that come from having more members. Initially Matt [Benton, baritone and alto-sax] would play three songs per gig, and then the next show he’d play four or five. As we found our feet as a larger band, we probably loosened up a bit. There was period where we played only a few songs, but did a really thorough job of riffing them out solidly, which the fans seemed to like.” Thanks to The Thomas Oliver Band’s musical niche,

they’ve built a very strong relationship with their followers. “We’re a bit of an anomaly on the Wellington scene, which probably explains why we’ve been so fortunate with such awesome fans. A lot of the music scene here is dominated by dub and hip hop sounds, so our whole rocking blues shtick stands out from that. On top of all that, though, we’ve got quite an appreciative and dedicated audience who allow us to experiment and be creative in the musical choices we make.” The Wellington music community has also provided many opportunities for collaboration, which has had its own effect on the diversity of the band’s sound. “No one here really has just one project,” Oliver says. “Despite the dominance of dub music, there’s a lot of encouragement for whatever music people want to pursue; we all play on each other’s recordings and help out wherever we can. I think that

THE THOMAS OLIVER BAND play The Evelyn on Friday June 1. Baby I’ll Play is out now.

ASH GRUNWALD

BY KRISSI WEISS

The beginning of the last decade saw Ash Grunwald emerging out of the popular wave of blues and folk artists. Australian indie music was going through its patchouli and campfire stage with John Butler, The Waifs, Dan Sultan and Mr Grunwald crooning their aching blues and folk-ridden souls around the countryside. Grunwald was always a blues performer at heart and his gravelly voice and rhythmic guitar was intensely raw. It was music that was performed with purely organic instrumentation – acoustic guitar, stomp box and tambourine. Things changed for Grunwald and as he grew as a performer, his music also changed but the soul remained the same. Australian Blues Awards gave way to ARIA awards on Grunwald’s rise within sustainable success and being true to his art has always been first and foremost. Underneath the exciting exterior of artistry always lies a normal life. Ash Grunwald, married and now a dad, is a musician on his resume but also a family man, as I find out when we chat. “Today I am solo dad-ing,” Grunwald says charmingly. “I am meeting up with some other solo dads today and we are going to look after each other’s kids while the other ones surf. I have also been working in the studio getting the beats from the record into a live setting.” His new album, Trouble’s Door, arranges two years of change for Grunwald personally as well as exploring the chaotically fluid state of the world around him in a global sense. Having always been an artist with a conscience, he is compelled to make music that is both personal and affective in a wider context. He has Beat Magazine Page 52

been touring as part of Krash, his project with Kram from Spiderbait and has developed as solid working relationship with Vika and Linda Bull. Utilising Pledge In Music, the project has been funded by pre-sales and special events. Over three years ago, on his way across the country, he began a working relationship with the Hilltop Hoods and Trials from Funkoars that would solidify a shift in sound for Grunwald. The essence of blues remained but what he introduced was sonic diversity and a new, beats-driven sound. This sound has continued after the Funkoars collaboration and is present in his new songs. Bringing this new sound to life in a live setting is proving to be a challenge for Grunwald and I ask whether he is bringing in organic

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ASH GRUNWALD will play The Corner Hotel on Saturday June 9 and The Westernport Hotel on Sunday June 10. Trouble’s Door is out now via Shock Records.

DEEP SEA ARCADE BY ALASDAIR DUNCAN

Deep Sea Arcade sprung from truly humble beginnings: a bedroom recording project for high school friends Nic McKenzie and Nick Weaver. With young heads filled with endless possibilities, they began to create swirling, strange indie pop songs, combining influences from ‘60s psychedelic rock to off-beat electronic music. But two people were too few to create the sounds they wanted, so they recruited a handful of new members, and it wasn’t long until the likes of triple j were paying attention. Fast forward a couple of years, through a huge UK tour and a handful of singles, and you arrive at March this year, and the release of the band’s longawaited debut record, Outlands. Deep Sea Arcade are thrilled with the album’s reception. “It’s been really good, in terms of reviews, and the stuff that people have been saying,” singer Nic McKenzie tells me. “People are enjoying it and responding to it well, and getting all the right vibes off it that were intended when it was put down.” Given the nearly four-year gap between the band’s debut single Crouch End and the album release, I ask if the delay was a calculated move to allow the band time to refine their sound before committing to a full-length. “I think the sound was already developed from the start,” McKenzie says, “but we really spent a lot of time crafting the music and getting the songs just right. We didn’t want to release an album until we were well and truly happy with it.” The arrangements on Outlands are lush and lovely, layers of guitar and electronics showing through, along with a variety of vintage synths like Mellotrons and a Juno 60. It’s hardly surprising, then, that McKenzie is a big collector of such gear, and loves to use it wherever possible. “We collect Junos and Roland Jupiters and Casiotones – I have four or five different Casiotones,” he tells me, of the band’s bowerbird-like habits. “I have a Casiotone 101 that’s my favourite at the moment, but I go through different phases. They’re a big, important part of our sound. We’re big on gear, and not just keyboards – we have a lot of different microphones for recording drums. We’re big into replacing the drum sounds with samples and things like that.” Many of the drum sounds on Outlands are drawn from surprising and unexpected sources. “A lot of the time, we use drum machines like the DMX for inspiration, but there are a lot of weirder sounds on the album – especially on the song Ride,” McKenzie says. “I actually recorded the sounds for that track with a video camera.” It turns out that during a university film class, a lecturer told the students to go into the field with a handy cam, capture a variety of sounds and then edit them together. McKenzie was so taken with the sounds he captured that they ended up forming the basis for the song, before drummer Carlos Adura added his own beats over the top, and the track came to life. In fact McKenzie is on the record as saying that if his band were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, then Adura would be the Splinter of the piece. Curious as to what this means, I ask him to embellish on it a bit further. “Oh man,” he laughs, “I said that because when we’re on tour, Carlos is known to have these moments where he has an epiphany and decides to tell the rest of us about how the world works. It’s really funny when that happens – something really strange comes over him, like he’s turned into some sort of a sensei, so we like to make fun of him and call him Splinter.” This leads to a more pertinent question about band dynamics. Given that

“BUT WE REALLY SPENT A LOT OF TIME CRAFTING THE MUSIC AND GETTING THE SONGS JUST RIGHT” McKenzie and band-mate Nick Weaver are life-long friends and have been making music together for so long, I ask how easy it was for the new members to slot in when Deep Sea Arcade expanded. “In a lot of ways, it was pretty easy,” he says. “I mean, the guys are essentially playing things that Nick and I have written, but they’ve always been able to adapt and play the material in their own way, which is great.” For example, he continues, Tim the guitarist has a lot of fun creating his own reverb and sounds, and Carlos brings an energy and sound to the band that wasn’t reachable before – especially in the early days when the band were working a lot more with programmed drums and the like. “They bring a third dimension to the two dimensions that Nick and I had previously,” McKenzie says. The title Outlands is a reference to Jean Luc Godard’s film Alphaville – a life-long film geek, McKenzie loves Godard and directs the band’s film clips, which he’s known to style around the aesthetic of the ‘60s French filmmaker. “I’m really into Godard films like Weekend and Breathless,” McKenzie tells me. “I love his films and the way that he uses art direction and mise-en-scène, and how everything looks. In terms of the art direction and the videos for the band, his work is maybe one of the key inspirations.” When it came time to pick an album title, Outlands seemed perfect for describing the mood and feeling of the songs. “There are lots of images of barren landscapes and things like that – it just resonated in the right way.” Moving from the cinematic to the musical, I ask McKenzie what bands have helped shape Deep Sea Arcade’s sound. “I guess in terms of more modern ones, we’re big fans of Black Angels and Wooden Shjips,” he tells me. “Both of those bands make a lot of references to the past, and both were big influences when it came to mixing the album.” But a lot of inspiration also came from the heady world of ‘90s indie pop. “We were all big fans of The Dandy Warhols, Supergrass, Blur and bands like that, so you can definitely hear elements of those creeping into our sound. From there, we’re also big fans of Gorillaz – I love their approach, and I’d say you can maybe even hear a little bit of that, too.” “Jeff doesn’t like to repeat himself, I think it’s that simple,” muses Clines, “That’s why he was so firm about making this completely analogue, live, sitting in a circle, small amps, no headphones, virtually all live vocals kind of record last time. And then he did a complete 180 degree turn with this one, just to keep all the balls in the air.” DEEP SEA ARCADE play two shows at the Phoenix Public House on Friday June 8 and Sunday June 10. Outlands is out now through Ivy League. DISCUSS WHAT? BEAT.COM.AU/DISCUSSION

Beat Magazine Page 53

DEF FX BY CHRIS HAVERCROFT

Before she became the world’s most famous witch, Fiona Horne fronted Sydney’s industrial dance rock group Def FX. At the height of their popularity Def FX imploded after the sudden departure of founding member Sean Lowry. Fiona Horne has got the band back together for their first shows in 15 years. An informal meeting with a friend of a friend in Los Angeles was the catalyst for this brief reformation of Def FX. After a few bottles of champagne and some Googling of the Def FX name, Horne and her newly found publicist friend discovered Facebook pages, YouTube videos and Wikipedia entries dedicated to the band. It wasn’t long before the offer of a reunion tour came in. “Martyn [Basha], the original bass player, had posted a message a year before on one of the YouTube videos so I put a note on there saying, ‘Do you want to get the band back together?’ It was actually a mate of his that saw my comment and told Marty about it. That is how we got in touch again,” reflects Horne. As with most bands during their younger years, Def FX were always looking forward to what they wished to achieve and possibly didn’t take the time to smell the roses and enjoy the journey. With all the members having carved out alternate careers and interests, the reunion is definitely aimed at having a fun time as opposed to trying to make a quick buck. “You have to have the passion for [touring] to be involved because we don’t have a big budget and we don’t have a record label. We are doing it on the smell of an oily rag. Every ticket that is bought is putting us on the road. There are no guarantees and we really appreciate that the fans are coming out and buying the tickets. We aren’t doing it in a fat cat kind of way. It is very lean, very mean and very fucking keen!” Before Horne touched down in Australia for rehearsals (she has been based in LA for a decade) the band members got themselves up to speed on the internet, Skype and drop boxes but there is no substitute for the energy of the first rehearsal. There was a slight chance that after 15 years the chemistry would be lacking, but Horne reports the rehearsals ‘rocked!’ “I skydive, so I say feel the fear, do it anyway and don’t suck,” explains Horne about the attitude that was taken into rehearsals. None of us thought that it wouldn’t be great, but it was amazing to all be in this room together and feel the energy. It felt like I had champagne bubbles going through me. Surfers Of The Mind was the first song that we played together in a room and we just ripped into it and then looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, we are going to pull this off’.” “This is a nostalgia tour. We are not writing any new music, we are doing a greatest hits set. We paid attention to what our 3,000 fans on Facebook had been saying they want to hear. We feel we have put together a set that honours the fans and honours the nostalgia of the band and allows us as a new band, in a way, to enjoy the new chemistry that we have.” Even though it may be a trip down memory lane for the Generation X fans , Horne is confident that there will be a new legion of fans that know her from her roles on television and those who have read any of the nine books she has had published. Horne hasn’t been out of the public eye, but her time in the band has had a lasting effect.

“WE FEEL WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A SET THAT HONOURS THE FANS AND HONOURS THE NOSTALGIA OF THE BAND AND ALLOWS US AS A NEW BAND, IN A WAY, TO ENJOY THE NEW CHEMISTRY THAT WE HAVE.” “My hair is fucked from doing that tour with the dreadlocks and I don’t even have any eyebrows because I used to shave them off and draw them on red and green. Some fans on Facebook voted on the outfit that they wanted me to wear for the tour, so I contacted the original designer Mindy McTaggart. She has actually made me some stuff. I used to go off stage and get changed in the break before the encore and come out in some fucking outrageous costume, so if there is any room backstage without everyone perving on me I might even work in a costume change. I have some stuff to wear, it is going to be fun.” Def FX fused electronic dance beats with heavy guitars well before the electronica movement. Being ahead of the game was a blessing and a curse for the band. They were noticed for how different they were but conversely there was no genre that radio stations could fit them into. By the time of their third album Magic, mainstream radio had caught on. Ironically just as they were on the brink of success, Def FX broke up. “I am a big fan of current dubstep and underground electronic music. When we play our songs that we wrote 20 years ago I think that you could just slap some dubstep in there and it would be very relevant, so it is kind of interesting. If people come and see us live, we are staying true to the original arrangements and we aren’t wanking around, but everything is heavier, more solid and bigger. There is this elevation of intensity, so it’ll be more intense than it was in the nineties.” DEF FX return to Australia for the first time in 15 years to play The Corner Hotel on Saturday June 2. Beat Magazine Page 54

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CORE

PUNK, SKA, HARDCORE NEWS, REVIEWS AND GOSSIP BY EMILY KELLY: EK1984@GMAIL.COM

I went along to the Melbourne leg of the Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere, Flatliners tour on the weekend. It’s a fair feat to get me off the goddamn couch on a wintery Sunday night but I can safely say that it was worth it. Watching Strike Anywhere again actually got me excited about music with a message. In a most unexpected twist, instead of rolling my eyes at their politically-charged lyrics I actually felt inspired, and wondered why bands don’t really embrace their position of privilege by spreading worthy messages anymore. Touring bands of that stature have the most excellent opportunity to spread great messages as they tour the world. More effective than any shitty politician, they’re already beloved and trusted by their fans, and if they manage to push a couple of different issues in their fast paced catchy music, I think they can genuinely make a difference. What fat schmuck politician wouldn’t give their

CRUNCH!

right arm to get in front of young, impassioned people and inspire change in the form of fantastic music? It seems a bit of a bummer to me that not enough bands are taking advantage of their reach these days. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few more political and societal issues discussed at shows. Is that expecting too much from punk rock, or is that the kind of ethos that punk was based on in the ﬁrst place? Fuck who knows, I left early because Anti-Flag were too loud and they were hurting my ears. Shows how old I am. Canadian pop maestros Billy Talent are coming back this August for a quick run of East Coast shows. It’s their ﬁrst visit since drummer Aaron had open heart surgery, so be gentle on them when they play at Billboards on Thursday August 12. Tickets on sale this Friday.

Details on the next Ska Weekender have been released, and festivities kick oﬀ in just a couple of weeks. Saturday June 9 sees Area 7, Dan Potthast, The Bennies, God God Dammit Dammit kickin’ out ska jams at the Evelyn Hotel. Tickets available now at moshtix. If you caught The Flatliners last weekend and liked what you heard, the band will return to Melbourne in a couple of weeks to play their own headlining set at The Gasometer. Catch them on Saturday June 9 with locals The Gun Runners, Cavalcade and Strickland. The Poison City Records Weekender is really heating up a rather average winter. Three-day pass tickets totally sold out in just 20 minutes on Monday, so you better get in quick to buy tickets for individual shows. Full lineups are available now for shows at The Tote, Corner Hotel and The Liberty Social. A Melbourne beneﬁt show for Blackie from the Hard-Ons has been announced. On Sunday June 10 Conation, Useless Children, Counterattack, White Walls, Daddy Long Legs and Tyrannamen will play one huge show at The Gasometer.

CORE GIG GUIDE

THURSDAY MAY 31: Resist The Thought, Hallower at Karova Lounge New Empire, We Rob Banks, Chasing Ghosts at Next Am Farrows, The Seaphim Veil, Disasters, Snow Town at The Bendigo FRIDAY JUNE 1: Graveyard Train at The HiFi Bar Teramaze, Mason, Arbia, They… at The Bendigo SATURDAY JUNE 2: The Mission In Motion, Jonesez, Celadore at The Tote Resist The Thought, Hallower at The Loft, Warrnambool Kids of Zoo, Damn The Torpedoes, Kremlings, Bad Vision at Kindred Studios Kisschasy, The Playbook, Viking Frontier, Anchors Away at Bang Dead, The Pretty Littles, Merrygorounds, Johnny Not Sorry, Udays Tiger, Chaos Kids, Redﬁeld at The Bendigo Built On Secrets, Strickland, Who Invited The Wolf, Carry Me Home at John Curtin Band Room SUNDAY JUNE 3: Resist The Thought, Hallower at National Hotel, Geelong

METAL, HEAVY ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK

LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GOOD SHIT WITH PETER HODGSON: CRUNCHCOLUMN@GMAIL.COM

GIG ALERT: MAMMOTH MAMMOTH

NEW STEVE VAI ALBUM. FINALLY. NEW PERIPHERY

Periphery will release Periphery II on June 29 via Roadrunner Records Australia. It’s an absolute killer of an album that’s sure to please fans of djent, progressive metal and maybe even some of your more openminded hard rock fans.

HEAVEN Classic Aussie pub rock band Heaven are back! After 30 years the rhythm section of Joe Turtur, Laurie Marlow and John Haese are reforming to reunite with mainstays Allan Fryer and Mitch Perry. Over the years Heaven have supported bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Motley Crue and many others. They’ll kick oﬀ their tour on Thursday June 13 in Byron Bay, and will swing by the National Hotel in Geelong on Thursday June 21 and play a twonight stand at The Evelyn in Fitzroy on Friday June 22 and Saturday June 23 on their way around the country before hitting the USA and then Europe. By the way, here’s some trivia: the band’s late guitarist Bradford Kelly designed the Jackson Kelly guitar, a metal and thrash classic closely identiﬁed with Marty Friedman during his Megadeth days.

Steve Vai is finally done with the follow-up to 2005’s Real Illusions: Reflections. The Story Of Light will be released on August 14 via Vai’s own Favored Nations label, and it’s a continuation of the narrative established on its predecessor. The 12-song album is largely instrumental, although Aimee Mann duets with Vai on No More Amsterdam, and The Voice finalist Beverly McClellan appears on John The Revelator. If you can’t wait a second longer to finally hear a taste of the first Vai studio album in over seven years (that’s almost longer than the Beatles were together!) an official video of the track Gravity Storm is on YouTube now.

Sometimes - and it happened a few weeks ago - a press release arrives which is so perfectly phrased that it’s worth giving it a run as-is. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Mammoth Mammoth. “After an epic 13 day DMT bender in an abandoned women’s mental institution, Mammoth Mammoth emerge with a new album not only ripped straight from the bucket bong, but straight from Satan’s anus too. They’re releasing a limited edition vinyl LP each individually cursed by a one breasted Haitian voodoo priestess just for you! To get your hands on this rareﬁed release head to Cherry on Friday 1st June and see them tear it up with Los Amogos and The Fog!!! So prepare a water tight alibi and ﬁnd out just how much action you can go missing in!"

VERSES THE WORLD COMPLETE NEW ALBUM

Santa Barbara’s Versus The World will release their second full-length album, Drink. Sing. Live. Love. on Sunday August 3 via 3Wise Records in Australia. The band, which consists of Mike Davenport (The Ataris), Chris Flippin (Lagwagon), Donald Spence and Bryan Charleson (Crooks and Liars), formed in the back of The Ataris-owned record store, Down On Haley, in Santa Barbara. The new album was produced by Thom Flowers (The Ataris) at Playback Recording and Orange Whip studios in Santa Barbara, mixed by Ian MacGregor (All American Rejects, Katy Perry) and mastered by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins.

INQUISITION

ADDITIONAL STEEL PANTHER TICKETS ON SALE

Missed out on Steel Panther tickets the ﬁrst time around? Well the Sunday October 7 gig has been moved from the Palace Theatre to Festival Hall and additional tickets are available now! Get in quick though because the original allocation sold out in a mere 13 minutes. Check out Steel Panther’s latest album, Balls Out. Vocalist Michael Starr says: “I can’t wait to get my balls out in some fresh Australian air!”

Originating in Colombia in 1988 and originally a thrash metal act, Since their 1998 Opus Into The Infernal Legions Of The Ancient Cult, Inquisition has been at the forefront of US black metal and is one of the most respected and significant bands in the genre today. With a total of five critically acclaimed full lengths and a fanatical following spanning across the globe, their latest album Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm has further cemented their legacy. This event will see their first appearance on Australian soil after touring the world with a reputation as one of the most enthralling and captivating live acts in metal today. Inquisition play The Bendigo Hotel with Vomitor on Sunday June 10, with a limited 200 tickets only, so get in fast. Purchase tix from thecoffinslave.com.

GIG ALERT: CATACOMBS

Melbourne melodic death metal band Catacombs are playing at the Central Club Hotel in Richmond on Saturday June 16 to launch their EP. Also on the bill are Myridian, The Black Plague and Damnation’s Day.

FEEDBACK Send your news to crunchcolumn@gmail.com! CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU

Beat Magazine Page 55

MUSIC NEWS

YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE

For all the latest news check out beat.com.au

X Back in 1977 Stev Caferio, Ian Krahe, Ian Rilen and Steve Lucas labelled their new band X. A name as much as a symbol. They set out to bring X music to the general public. The tragic death of Ian Krahe staggered the band but couldn’t stop it. After a few try outs it was decided that Steve Lucas would take up guitaring duties as well as leading with the vocals. In 1979 Rilen, Lucas and Caferio recorded the iconic album X-Aspirations, produced by the legendary Lobby Lloyd. A few years later Caferio left and Cathy Green picked up the drumsticks and revitalised the band. Not long after that they recorded At Home With You produced once more by Lobby Lloyd. It managed to stay in the top 20 of the Indie charts for 29 months. Over the years many players have passed through the X ranks and the band managed to keep on going over the decades. When Ian Rilen passed away it really did look like it was all over for X, but with the re-releasing of X’s back catalogue through Aztec Music, Steve Lucas managed to breathe new life into the beast. Steve ﬁnally took the band to America and notched up a very successful tour of the West Coast with Kim Volkman and Bill Walsh. However, all good things must come to an end. Steve Lucas has called for one last round before letting X ﬁnally rest in peace. Be sure to attend the Last Round at The Tote on Friday June 1 and raise your glasses one last time. Support from Bitter Sweet Kicks and Sex Tape. pre-sale tickets available from the venue.

TRENTFEST DRUNK MUMS Melbourne via Cairns slackers Drunk Mums have dropped a brand new track titled Rubbing Your Gums that is being launched at The Grace Darling band room on Saturday June 2. Rubbing Your Gums is a classic DIY garage effort from Drunk Mums with a ‘60s R&B twang. The single is taken from the band’s forthcoming self-titled full-length debut due out later this year. ScotDrakula share the same live mantra with their lo-fi garage tunes that are catchy as all hell and Mesa Cosa have been described as The Birthday Party and Dead Kennedy’s love child with a self-proclaimed “cult following only second to Allah & The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. The Melbourne six-piece top off this fine lineup that is surely destined for a night of loud and loose behaviour in Australia’s finest musical city.

HMAS VENEDATTA

CLAVIANS This Saturday June 2 will see an epic two-piece lineup, light up The Grace Darling Basement as indie rockers Ghetto Ghetto, scuzz-punks Clavians (pictured) and old’blues dodgers Hounds, Hounds, Hounds take the stage. With only a pair of sticks and strings between them, come see some of the loudest and most terrifyingly infectious bands make big noises with their little instruments. Ghetto Ghetto have just relocated to Australia from Europe and intend to make their mark on Melbourne’s live scene. Clavians return, showcasing tracks from their highly anticipated follow up EP Cosmic Hood and Hounds, Hounds, Hounds will bring their bluesy swagger that melted faces of Seal fans around the country recently when they supported the artful dodger himself. New sounds for a new stage. Doors at 9pm.

MONIQUE BRUMBY TRIO Monique is a two-time ARIA Award winning singer/ songwriter as well as a music producer and artist mentor. Originally from Tasmania, Monique is currently based in Melbourne and released her ﬁrst album on Columbia Records in 1996 after a very successful musical partnership with producer David Bridie. She won two ARIA Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Artist in consecutive years. She is playing with her band at The Drunken Poet this Saturday June 2 at 9pm so head down and check her out.

THE ONCE OVERS Friday June 1 should probably be nominated as a new public holiday to commemorate the gathering of two glorious bands for one unforgettable night. The Once Overs have gotten out of their old man rocking chairs once again to give Melbourne a blast of their good time surf/garage horse rock. Every show could be their last due to a power struggle between their lead singer and himself and the other three members being strung out on nail polish and Listerine most of the time. Accompanying them on this grand occasion are garage/proto punkers Bad Vision. As they say themselves their music is “Like a dirty takeaway on a Friday night, it hits the spot and goes well with beer.” The Retreat Hotel Brunswick this Friday June 1. Entry is free.

LES GARCONS A little more than a year on from their first gig Les Garcons are finally ready to release their first single, Stories To Tell and they’re doing it in style. Headlining Pony for the first time with support from I’ll Be An Indian, Where’s Nick? and Return To Youth on Saturday June 2. Doors at 9pm.

Beat Magazine Page 56

Vultures Of Venus are playing as a duo whilst their bass player is in Europe. Will they return to their electro glam roots? And yeah, they’ve got an obscene number of new tunes to pour down your ear. Hell yes. Red Rockets Of Borneo are gonna be there too, so red pants should probably be worn. Golgotha Motel are also suiting up and strapping on their guitars to push their dark country vibes at us. And holy crap, I think you just won the lottery. HMAS Venedatta, who cut the most dashing ﬁgure in military uniform since 1918, are sailing into town and sporting many a ﬁne mustache. This debauched and deranged menagerie are kicking it in style at the best rock pig trough in Collingwood, that is better known as Yah Yah’s. It all goes down on Saturday June 9.

POISON CITY WEEKENDER Now in its fourth year, Poison City’s annual Weekender festival is setting its sights upon Melbourne once again, bringing a huge lineup of punk acts to three venues across town. The event will be headlined by New York post-hardcore supergroup Rival Schools, hitting Australia for the ﬁrst time since their 2011 comeback. Joining them on the ball-tearer of a lineup will be The Smith Street Band, A Death In The Family, Extortion, Luca Brasi, I-Exist, Hoodlum Shouts, Paper Arms, Jamie Hay, Grim Fandango, Milhouse, Jen Buxton, Between The Devil & The Deep, Outsiders, Let Me Down Jungleman, Chinese Burns Unit, Toy Boats, Lincoln Le Fevre, Run Squirrel and White Walls, with more acts still to be announced. Poison City Weekender takes place at The Tote on Friday September 14, The Corner on Saturday September 15 and The Liberty Hotel on Sunday September 16.

TULLY ON TULLY It’s hard to know what exactly what makes a pop song moving, but Tully On Tully get you a little bit closer to finding out between the curve of a melody, a lift in the chord progression, the shiver of a perfect harmony and the shake of a catchy drum beat. Feel them pull you into their world with a “wholly physical devotion” to every song they play by seeing their first gig back after a six month writing and recording hiatus. Coming at you in full flight, Tully On Tully are ready to showcase their new sounds and new songs with special guests, Private Life, whose live show is not to be missed as well as the sweet R&B pop tunes of Yuko Nishiyama. Catch Tully On Tully, Private Life and Yuko Nishiyama at The Empress on Friday June 8. Doors at 8:30pm.

GOYIM Join the crazy street gypsies GOYIM on Sunday June 3, from 8pm at Richmond’s Great Britain Hotel. Bringing a fresh new take to gypsy and klezmer tunes from across Europe and New York, whilst creating an infectious high energy street sound found among the gypsy’s themselves. See Paul on the slap double bass and Esther on the ﬁddle with her jingly gypsy bells strapped to her skirt. Esther’s intricate and frantic rhythms on the ﬁddle create a sense of urgency while making full use of the catchy melodies and tones. Free entry.

The event no-one is waiting for. Trentfest is here again, as obnoxious and foul as ever. The eight bands in this year’s lineup come from many diﬀerent backgrounds; some from sludge and grunge, some from metal and punk, some from hardcore and blues; but all represent the uncompromisingly loud, distorted, maniacal and displaced side of music. Trentfest was founded to create an event that could be depended on to be nothing but an unapologetic show of vulgar noise and unhinged, chaotic performances from the most obnoxious and unconventional bands in Melbourne this year. Melbourne’s most putrid musical duo DEAD are headlining this straight-jacket night which will be nothing but eight hours of musical insanity. Don’t miss out on Trentfest on Saturday June 2 at The Bendigo Hotel.

JANE DUST AND THE GIANT HOOPOES Jane Dust and The Giant Hoopoes unleash new tracks from their space rock 2012 album The Space Hunters: Episode I ‘The Creature’ in The Tote front bar this Saturday June 2, at 5pm. They’ll be supporting the hip hop goddess Ally Oop and her Hoopsters. Hip Hop meets space rock. It’s gonna be spacey, racey and acey.

ISAAC DE HEER Isaac is a songwriter currently based in Melbourne. He has released two records; Isaac De Heer and Wordshapes, and has supported some well-known Australian and international acts including The Temper Trap, FINK (UK), Luke Steele, Josh Pyke and Jamie Hutchings. His latest inspiration has come from his travels through South America earlier in the year. Isaac will be performing two sets in The Retreat front bar tonight from 8.30pm.

RAIN FACTORY Rain Factory are a Melbourne-based quartet that independently released two albums and three EPs in the ‘90s. They play traditional rock with an alternative leaning that is resplendent with big guitar riﬀs and melodies. The Rain Factory perform at The Retreat Hotel this Sunday June 3, with support from Phobe’s Dream at 7pm. Head in early to witness the Velvet Cake Gypsies from 4pm in the front bar. Free entry.

THE FLOORS Head to The Retreat Hotel this Saturday June 2 for a fantastic lineup of live music. The solo performer Rich Davies will be kicking oﬀ the evening with some tunes in the front bar from 4pm. Stepping up the pace is Them Bruins, from 10pm, who are supporting the evening’s headlining band, The Floors. DJ Dr. Ludwig will be hitting up the D-ﬂoor ‘til 3am for all you crazy party goers.

VICTORIAN GAYE Head along to The Retreat Hotel’s front bar on Tuesday June 5 to hear some of the magical tones from Victoriana Gaye. She is set to kick oﬀ at 8.30pm sharp.

BAYOU After the release of their startling debut in March, three-girl, two-boy outﬁt from Melbourne Bayou headline their ﬁrst show on Thursday June 7 at Yah Yah’s. The EP – available on Bandcamp sees the band blend cascading guitar lines, eerie female harmonies and propulsive drumming with anthemic lead vocals to create a sound that is haunting, commanding and dirty – a fuzzed out missive from some enticing underworld. Support on the night comes from Minibikes, Ali E and L’il Leonie Lionheart.

KHS BLUES BAND Hailing from the glory days, crawling from the shallow depths of the Murrumbidgee River and indulging in the good times are the KHS Blues Band. You can hear the blues, songs you know and will maybe recognise all rolled out in a jumpin’ psychedelic mess. The eagle ﬂies on Friday June 1 at The Balaclava Hotel. Get there.

UNCOMFORTABLE BEATS Uncomfortable Beats returns to the loungey surrounds of Bar Open yet again to bring you the best in local beats. Candice Monique and DJ Mz Rizk will bring sounds of nu-soul meets hip hop meets spoken word, think Badu vs Lauren Hill. Sydney newcomer GÉLÏdØ will be playing a set of beats on his APC including a bunch of original productions, expect plenty of wobbles and glitches. Residents Ghostsoul, ShiKung and Able8 will be doing their thing as usual, you know the drill. Tonight, and also Saturday June 2 at Bar Open, doors at 8pm, free entry.

PUNK-A-BILLY After 16 events across three states and playing host to over 100 bands from around the world, the PunkA-Billy Festival is set to go out with a bang for the Grand Finale Prom Night. Punk-A-Billy are proud to announce their ﬁnal ‘best of’ lineup, as decided by an online public vote. Local acts ripping it up one last time are The Australian Kingswood Factory, No Idea, Strawberry Fist Cake, The Half Pints, Dixon Cider, The Murderballs, Where’s Grover and the long awaited reunion of Punch The Clown. Tripping down the coast from NSW are Topnovil and Casino Rumblers, along with Queenslanders The Flangipanis, Myrtle Place and Jodie Flange. Finally, with thanks to the Aussie crowd who cast their vote; Canadian rockers Rehab For Quitters return to Australia to headline the festival. So get your mo-hawks upright and your quiﬀ’s slick one last time and head down to The Barleycorn Hotel from 2.30pm on Saturday June 16 to celebrate the end of an era.

CUNTZ Cuntz have recorded their debut LP and they want you to go along and buy a copy. They’re going to America and really need the money. So head along and help launch a piece of history. Kicking things oﬀ is Synthetic Textures followed by some Passion Fruit to shnack on. Then Cuntz dad’s band is playing; Bits of Shit. It all kicks oﬀ Thursday May 31 at Bar Open, doors at 9pm, free entry.

ALBARE Albare visits the Melbourne Recital Centre as part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, to perform songs from his forthcoming album release – Long Way, and his extensive back catalogue. Long Way was recently recorded in New York, with some of the world’s ﬁnest musicians featuring on the album. For one time only, this lineup of international players are visiting Australia to play, which include the triple Grammy Award winning drummer – Antonio Sanchez, George Garzone, Leo Genovese, Hendrick Muerkens, and Albare’s musical collaborator, bassist and composer Evri Evripidou. The Melbourne Recital Centre’s stage will be lit up on Tuesday June 5, with doors opening from 7.10pm. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster for $69+bf.

SPERMAIDS

SIMON WRIGHT BAND

Spermaids don’t seem to fuck around. Since having formed less than a year ago, the two-piece from NZ have gigged relentlessly and released a unique EP that walks the line between playful experimentation and outright aggression. The live performance is full of tension as they trigger samples, loops and eﬀects creating a cacophany usually only achieved by bands of more than two members. If you’ve not yet seen these guys live then May is the month. They play every Wednesday night at The Tote, joined each week by only the dopest of local supports. CDs and merch for sale at gigs.

Whether it’s a dimly lit room in a small Fitzroy bar, a packed house at Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel or on main stage at a weekend festival in Victoria’s countryside, Simon Wright never fails to ﬁll the room with his presence. With an old beaten guitar, a charismatic stage persona and a song writing style that calls on the ﬂavours of blues, funk, soul, hip hop, reggae and rock’n’roll, Simon is able to entertain all branches of today’s pop subcultures. He is hitting the stage at Veludos upstairs this Sunday June 3, so get down and check him out. He also plays The Evelyn on Tuesdays in June with some of Melbourne’s freshest funk soul and hip hop acts.

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THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS

THESE HANDS

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that time of year again. The weather is getting colder, the Unicorns are on the ďŹ eld and The Toot Toot Toots are back at The Old Bar for their third annual June Sunday Residency. After successfully launching their latest opus at The Hi-Fi, they return to their favourite watering hole to make Sundays in winter worth leaving the house. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gonna be an epic run of Sundays. Support is coming from The Murlocs, Ali E and DJ George Hyde. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an 8pm start this Sunday June 3, and get down early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cause they will sell out every damn show. $10 on the door.

The Grace Darling Hotel in Collingwood hosts a night of instrumental rock featuring These Hands, The Television Sky, Duck Duck Chop and Onion this Friday June 1 at 9pm. These Hands have just released their long-awaited full-length album Endlessly, a densely layered epic that broods and jars through shifting cycles. The Television Sky plays a smoldering fusion of classical and post-rock inďŹ&#x201A;uences, delicate as spider webs and brittle as broken glass. Duck Duck Chop bring to the night a joyous, anarchic spirit to their wild jagged sounds. The evening will be opened by Onion, with guitar-based sonic textures. $12.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Living Music is back for the third installment of an all ages open mic session at The Revolt Artspace in Kensington. Artists are welcome to turn up on the day, with or without beats or backing tracks. DJ Must will look after you guys either way. The ďŹ rst Sunday of every month from 2pm â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 5pm is the place to be, for the opportunity to perform live on stage.

CHRIS RUSSELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHICKEN WALK Having wowed audiences at The Clarksdale, Mississippi Juke Joint Festival in April where he shared the stage with Kenny Brown, L.C. Ulmer, Lightninâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Malcom, and Old Gray Mule, Chris Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken Walk return to Australia, and The Old Bar every Wednesday in May. Featuring Handsome Dean Muller on drums, Chris Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken Walk play rollicking, hypnotic North Mississippi Hill Country Blues with supports from Jimmy Stewart (ClinkerďŹ eld), Bob Harrow (Immigrant Union), Guy Kable and a host of others. Beat the winter blues with some Mississippi heat from Chris Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken Walk. Support this week is coming from Junk Horses. Head along to The Old Bar tonight for a free entry show.

GERRY HALEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SESSIONS

BLUEGRASS

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right folks. The ďŹ rst Monday night in every month bring yer banjo, mandolin, washboard, ďŹ ddle, ďŹ&#x201A;atmate and join in the oldtime bluegrass jam session. Or just come down and watch as the Oldie getâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transformed to a scene from an Appalachian mountainside. 8pm start and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always free. This Monday June 4.

LAKES OF RUSSIA

CRY BABY SESSIONS Cry Baby Sessions happens on the ďŹ rst Sunday of every month at The Old Bar. Watch as The Old Bar gets transformed from a bunch of drunks acting like children to a bunch of children acting like drunks. A kid friendly day with no smoking anywhere in the venue, BBQ, face painting and a band to entertain the wee ones as you get to relax and have a beer with other grownups. This Sunday June 3 itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cherrywood playing and it all starts at 1pm. $5 entry.

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RECLINK COMMUNITY CUP That one day in, uh, June that we like to remember is back in full force this year, with the much-loved Reclink Community Cup returning to Elsternwick after a cameo visit in Sydney earlier in the year. Just as last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme was the dark prince Nick Cave, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motif will be that of The Cramps. Each band performing on the day will slot a Cramps track into their setlist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; those bands being none other than Boomgates, reformed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s punks Blue Ruin, and Bunny Monroe. Oh, and of course there will be the main event â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the mighty Megahertz will try to regain the title of reigning champions from The Rockdogs. The 2012 Reclink Community Cup takes place Sunday June 24 at Elsternwick Park.

HUMANS Having just been announced as one of the supports for Black Cabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst show in ages (Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday weekend) and confusing and bemusing punters at Pony last Friday, experimental, instrumental, art-electro super-heroes HUMANS play their fourth show ever at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;CAN-tasticâ&#x20AC;?, Tago Mago this Friday June 1.

STRANGERS

ELEPHANT EYES The last time Elephant Eyes released a single, some knowing nods were thrown their way. Now, in preparation for the release of their upcoming debut EP, Elephant Eyes are releasing their second single Mother Said â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a Stepford Wives take on domestic perfection gone wrong. Following the release of their ďŹ rst single I Want To Know, the band have been steadily increasing their fan-base through playing a string of shows around Melbourne, including an appearance at Moomba Festival. To celebrate the digital release of Mother Said, Elephant Eyes head to The Grace Darling on Friday June 8 to perform alongside Owls Of The Swamp and Siobhan. Doors at 9pm.

Lakes Of Russia is about simplicity. The slow-burn of a single guitar folded onto itself until it starts to make sense. Lakes Of Russia is often described as a place or time, rather than a sound. Late night/early morning, sun/rain, sea/sky. A backdrop rather than the scene itself. Music for the lonely and sleep deprived. They play The Old Bar this Tuesday June 5 with Fabian Toonen and Maximilian White Of The Television Sky And Onion, which is the ongoing musical project of Melbourne-via-Adelaide artist Lara Soulio. Doors from 8pm, free entry.

YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE

Sydney Southern Beach rockers Strangers have so far done it for Calling All Cars, they did it for Closure In Moscow, they did it for Unwritten Law and Red Coats and just recently did it for UKs men in tights The Darkness. Their muscular new single Persona Non Grata was released to radio this week. It screams loud, it screams hard and it screams fast. Strangers will be launching it and taking their hard as nails brand of rock to the streets with a special showcase event at The Workers Club on Friday June 8. Tickets available on the door.

SPACECHO An unidentiďŹ ed object is going to crash land at The Town Hall HotelÂ on Saturday June 2. Spacecho will be returning to the live front, unleashing their unique brand ofÂ stoner goth on an unsuspecting audience. Be warnedÂ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Spacecho is not a band for the weak minded. Also appearing are the sensational Waco Social Club.

DAMN THE TORPEDOES If west-side is the best-side, then west-side partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are truly the place to be. Kindred have perhaps unwisely handed the keys to their brand spanking new stage over for a night of punk rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll armageddon. All the way from Cro-burg come noise-lords Kids Of Zoo, bringing along a bootload of fuzz, a goonbag of spumante, a Europe tour schedule and a rocking brand new album along with them. West-side scum Damn The Torpedoes will be playing a heap of new tracks, showing oďŹ&#x20AC; their new two-guitar attack like a kid with a new (stolen) bike poppinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; a wheely. Catch them now before they disappear back into the studio. Young punks The Kremlings mix the scuzz of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s Geelong rock with the spastic fury of early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s hardcore. Fed on a diet of garage, post punk and proto punk, Bad Vision bring some raw guitar noise thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still abundant with melody to the table. Like a dirty takeaway on a Friday night, it hits the spot and goes well with beer. Come and watch as the bands take turns destroying the purdy new stage at Kindred Studios on Saturday June 2 from 8pm.

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Beat Magazine Page 57

MUSIC NEWS

GUTHRIE YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE

For all the latest news check out beat.com.au

DAVE LARKIN BAND

FRASER A. GORMAN

After a brief touring jaunt with Cold Chisel in late 2011, the mighty Dave Larkin Band are back for one very special show at Phoenix Public House on Saturday June 2. The enigmatic Dallas Crane/Gun Street Girls frontman rolls ten years of songwriting gold it into one very rockin’ outﬁt showcasing a stellar back catalogue and a swag of new gems from his forthcoming album. Limited edition pre-sale T-Shirt Tickets (where you buy a T-shirt instead of a ticket) are now on sale at davelarkin.com.au and have been selling extremely well already. Regulation tickets are also available from davelarkin. com.au and phoenix public house.com. Put this one in your diary folks. Local lineups don’t get much better than this.

THE MISSION IN MOTION

HALF PINTS

Big Seal & The Slippery Few are a ﬁve-piece, multiinstrumentalist, trans-Tasman, folk/blues extravaganza. This Thursday May 31 they headline The Tote with Elliot The Bull, Rosie Burgess Trio, Michelle Meehan and Granston Display.

What’s better than a Half Pints or Strawberry Fist Cake CD? A combined CD with a Fist Pint of Strawberry Half Cake! (Or something of the like.) Thats right, those crazy punks have been hiding away in the studio frantically working on their new 13 track split album. But this isn’t just your everyday, run of the mill album, it features The Half Pints covering four of your favourite Fist Cake songs, SFC covering four of your favourite Half Pints songs, two brand spankin’ new originals from each band and a song entirely written and performed by the two bands combined! This item of musical genius is titled Thicker And Fuller and will be available at the launch party on Sunday June 3 at the Tote, where the bands will be performing all of the songs from the album, including both bands coming together on stage for their combined song. Sharing the stage for the day with this Fist Pint of awesome are supporting acts K-Mart Warriors, Dixon Cider, Hopes Abandoned and The Cruntburgers. So get ready to call in sick for work Monday and get your squishy little selves down to the Tote from 4pm this Sunday for a never to be repeated event of Fist Pinty goodness. Doors at 4pm, $10 entry.

STREAMS OF WHISKEY

OVER-REACTOR

Poguetry in motion! Streams of Whiskey hit Bar Open on Sunday June 10. Armed with their mandolins, accordions, banjos and all the other necessary ye olde world weapons of (by their own admission) the world’s best Pogues cover band. The last few Bar Open gigs have been truly mental with a collective madness turning the crowd to what looks like a blurry fight-scene from a comic book. Johnny Gibson’s fire cracking rhythm section has never sounded better and is locking in tightly with the lightning strums of Mark Jennings on guitar. Steve Milligan has survived the moshpit of the recent MYC reunion and is ready to stand and deliver. Free show and the next day is a public holiday to sleep off the hangover support from the unstoppable Rowan Blackmore.

Melbourne’s death-hop masters, Over-Reactor are hitting the road to celebrate the release of their latest single Mouth Of The Ghetto. Mouth Of The Ghetto is also the title of their forthcoming album, due in the second half of 2012. Since recently releasing their ﬁrst single and video, the band have received over 4000 views on YouTube and had three songs in the top ten on the triple j Unearthed metal charts. Its two members, Ezekiel Ox (ex Mammal, Full Scale) and Cory Blight (ex Dukes Of Windsor), launched Over-Reactor 18 months ago, and have already toured nationally with Karnivool, Front End Loader, Floating Me, and COG. They play The Espy on Saturday June 9.

POCO LA PAX

You may have heard about Melbourne singer-songwriter Lachlan Bryan of late. Perhaps you heard his name when he opened for music legends Steve Earle or John Hiatt, or when he supported UK outﬁt ahab, or maybe you’ve caught his music on radio in recent months. On the back of standout performances at BluesFest and Tamworth Festivals in 2012 and a really impressive collection of glowing reviews for both his live shows and his album, Lachlan Bryan is taking the opportunity to head out on his own tour and to oﬃcially launch his debut album Shadow of the Gun in Sydney and Melbourne and celebrate the release of the second single from the album, Going Straight. He launches it at The Workers Club on Thursday June 14.

Taking over the triple j airwaves with their high rotation single Control and fresh oﬀ the back of the mammoth Soundwave Festival, 2012 is set to be another massive year for The Mission In Motion, as the band prepare the release of their sophomore album. The Mission In Motion will once again be hitting the road this May on the All Work No Pay tour, road testing new material from the band’s forthcoming sophomore album due out in late August 2012. Joining the bill is Melbourne’s Jonesez who have been turning heads since the release of their debut album Betty’s Soup. The band play The Tote this Saturday June 2.

BIG SEAL & THE SLIPPERY FEW

Poco La Pax are packing up their swags and venturing north side for the month. They are delighted to announce an entire month of headline shows at The Evelyn on Wednesdays, including tonight, with support from Thnkr. Free entry.

YABU BAND Announced on the NIMAS’s performance bill, WAMi Award nominated ‘Best Indigi Act’ 2012 and winner of the Deadly Awards, Yabu Band will be playing a set at The Royal Melbourne Hotel this Thursday May 31. Joining them for the We Sing For Reconciliation show are Bart Willoughby, The Skin Choir and The Massive Hip Hop Choir. Melbourne, get amongst it!

LITTLE WISE With a vocal styling not dissimilar to Angie Hart from Frente, Sophie Klein is the brainchild who fronts Melbourne based outﬁt Little Wise. Small in stature, she’s nevertheless got some big stories to tell and some musical wisdom to impart. Little Wise are very excited to be launching their debut EP Moments Of Clarity at The John Curtain Hotel tonight with support from Lauren Glezer and Oh!Pep. Tickets are $8.50 pre-sale (incl. bf) via the venue website, or $10 on the door.

HELLHOUNDS Retro-blues trio, Hellhounds, strip it back for a month of ‘unplugged’ style shows at St. Kilda’s famous Pure Pop Records. Playing every Thursday in May from 6-8pm, the band will be performing intimate renditions from songs from their recently released debut album, and including some swampy, juke joint style jams inbetween. The Hellhounds record is available now at Pure Pop Records, Greville Records, JB HiFi, iTunes and the Hellhounds Facebook shop.

CHERRY JAM – OPEN MIKE MONDAYS The always poppin’ Cherry Bar wants to support the Melbourne music scene. They think bands will beneﬁt from playing on the same stage that has hosted The Black Keys, The New York Dolls, Mark Lanegan, The Tea Party and already showcases over 550 diﬀerent booked locals acts a year. They supply the back line, the mixer and the famous stage. You and your band plug in and play. 6.30pm to 11.30pm every Monday. Get involved. Beat Magazine Page 58

Tasmanian swamp rock duo Guthrie are on the last leg of their ridiculous 71 date tour along the east coast of Australia. They’ve played shows in clubs, pubs and all sorts of venues from Cairns all the way down to Launceston over the past three months. You can catch the hard-working lads on Friday June 1 at The Espy.

LACHLAN BRYAN

LOS AMIGOS After a four year hiatus involving Visa issues, shooting incidents (they claim they were ‘cleaning it and it went oﬀ’) and a brief jail stint (the Judge was a ‘gringo’) those crazy masked Mexican punk rockers Los Amigos return to Melbourne to get loco! Cheech Dynamite, Mudhead Menedez along with new members Fernando Fernandez (aka Big Fanny) and Sonny Ramirez junior (son of the late Los Amigos guitarist ‘Psycho’ Sonny Ramirez) will stage the ultimate comeback fuelled with plenty of tequila. Hang on to your VCRs because your girlfriends are gonna get pregnant when Los Amigos return at Cherry Bar with Mammoth Mammoth (album launch) this Friday June 1.

KEEP LOVE Everyone get excited for the party of the year at Noise Bar. On Saturday June 2, head down to Noise Bar in Brunswick at 7.30pm to see live bands and sweet DJs all night. They’ve got some great local bands playing, like Eltham punk-jazz band, Jalapeno Punch, the all girl power of Dead Beats and the raw punk stylings of Miyazaki! But wait, there’s more. Special guest, X Factor’s Declan Sykes is playing a live set, and YouTube’s Ged Wolfe is playing with Jalapeno Punch. Now what more could you ask for except a live DJ set from triple j unearthed’s electronic chart topper Godwolf? and to ﬁnish the night of they’ve got DJ TMA to take you out ‘til 12.30am. $15 entry at the door. 18+ only.

MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS Featuring ex-Little Red baritone crooner Tom Hartney on lead vocals, Major Tom & The Atoms are an explosive rhythm’n’blues orchestra set to release their debut EP Shake It Til You Break It. After six years touring the world and beyond with Little Red, Major Tom has announced his departure from the group to return to his classic honkytonk roots and has assembled a dazzling six-piece band of rogues to share in the booty. They launch their single Mockingbird at The Evelyn on Friday June 15.

EXILE ON HIGH STREET Exile (A Tribute to the Rolling Stones) will play a special one oﬀ show at The Prague (High Street Thornbury) on Saturday June 2. Stones fans can expect a full show case of all of the classic songs from the '70s, with a few songs from each adjoining decade thrown in for good measure. Exile will be supported by The Fortunate Sons (Credence Clearwater Revival).

Make your way down to Yah Yah’s on Sunday June 3 and get yourself acquainted with the Humans As Animals for a lovely evening to round out the week with pop fusion hiding under rock. Humans As Animals have settled into a new lineup, with the Jared on drums. Busting out sharp jams in between complicated sword songs at bars and warehouses is our specialty. Entertainment on stage from 8.30pm starts oﬀ with the talented Jumpin Jack William followed by Humans As Animals. See y’all there.

EIGHT MILES HIGH Alien Lane Management are delighted to present the inaugural Melbourne instalment of the Eight Miles High mini-festival, a celebration of psychedelic, ‘60s, surf, shoegaze and garage pop. Once again they’ve carefully selected bands that they love that are doing something great. The stellar lineup includes; The Demon Parade, Sister Jane, Lowtide, Buried Feather and Flyying Colours. Make sure you get there early. Tickets are on sale now from Moshtix for $20, and are strictly limited.

LITTLE MURDERS Bar Open hosts a potpourri of power pop sounds as three great guitar bands groove the venue this Sunday June 3. Little Murders, the legendary power pop band are back. After returning to live gigging in 2009 they’ve been rocking Melbourne venues regularly, plus they’ve released a new album Dig For Plenty. They will be joined by Thee Wylde Oscars, still fresh from touring Europe and releasing one classic record after another, the Oscars know how to get a place jumping. Let’s not forget the Interceptors who promise to kick the night oﬀ with some stomping rock’n’roll. First band is on at 8pm and it’s all over before 11pm so don’t drag your feet. Free entry, doors at 7.30pm.

LIGHT ASYLUM Due to overwhelming demand, a second show was announced for Zola Jesus at The Toﬀ In Town on Saturday June 2. Nika Rosa Danilova and her band will be headlining the show, which already features New York’s Light Asylum and Melbourne’s Forces. Light Asylum is part introverted, aggressive vehicles, part bright, jubilant fanfares, resulting in passages of carefully devised harmony and melody bloom between stabs of driving keyboards and drum machines. Tickets are available through Moshtix for $40+bf, with doors open from 7.30pm.

YOU N YOUR MUSIC

60 SECONDS WITH… THE DOTCOMS

Fresh from supporting Joelistics for the launch of their debut EP, Stream Of Consciousness, You and Your Music (YAYM) return to Bar Open on Friday June 1 to deliver their own style of hip hop fused soul. The eight piece band have had a busy year, performing on Festival Sunday at St Kilda Festival, Moomba Festival and also launching their debut video clip for the bicycle couriering inspired, Keep on Spinning. The will be the last show before the band step back into the studio to ﬁnish recording their forthcoming album. YAYM will be supported by dub-hip hop Echo Drama. Doors at 10pm, free entry.

So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? Hi. I’m Jason and I play guitar and sing in dotcoms. I also prance around a bit and keep morale high.

LOS DOMINADOS Every now and then a lineup like this comes together. Yah Yah’s presents a night of killer bands on Thursday May 31. Los Dominados and The Divine Fluxus, support the super smooth and rocky Pony Gyrl & The Outsiders. Not for a while has there been a band like this. Pony Gyrl & The Outsiders have gate crashed the indie rock scene with their own brand of rock that sounds hard, tastes classic and feels exciting and new. After playing solo and attending drama school, Pony Gyrl relocated from Perth to Melbourne and put The Outsiders together in 2008 with Jamie (bass), Gav (drums) and Butch (lead guitar). Make sure you don’t miss this taste of Melbourne rock, doors open at 9pm, $5 entry.

SHOOT THE SUN After a brief hiatus from the stage, Shoot The Sun are ready and raring to officially unleash their latest single. After playing phenomenal gigs at many fine venues and with many great bands throughout Melbourne, Shoot The Sun will be performing at Yah Yah’s on Friday June 1 to officially launch their new single One Way Street. With support from Slow Chase, Wilderbeast and Sweet Teens this is bound to be a cracker of a show.

THE SAND PEBBLES HUMANS AS ANIMALS

Sad but true, this Thursday May 31 marks the epic ﬁnale to Fraser A. Gorman’s Thursday night residency at The Retreat Hotel. It’s gonna be quite the hootenanny hodown. You won’t wanna miss this one. The Murlocs are on ﬁrst from 9pm. Free entry.

The Sand Pebbles are the second best kept Melbourne musical secret, for the past five years running, give or take- they’re cosmic, kinetic and whacked out. Get it all on Saturday June 2 at The Great Britain Hotel when The Sand Pebbles present The Riding Hood. It’s two sets of electrified, forest meandering wonderment, and it all kicks off at 9pm. It’s also easy on the hip pocket being a free show and all.

KETTLESPIDER Kettlespider have burst onto the live scene in 2012 displaying mesmerising musicianship and superior song writing. This young, fresh instrumental ﬁve-piece are blessed with talent way beyond their years and already have a loyal fanbase in the Melbourne scene. They too will launch a new release; their debut album entitled Avadante. They join forces with White Cell on Saturday June 2 at The Evelyn who will also be launching their new release. Supported by Driven To The Verge and Death By Six, with a late set by the heavy mash-up DJ LJ Esquire. Doors open from 8.30pm.

WATCH INTERVIEWS, CHATS & AWKWARD SILENCES... BEAT.COM.AU/TV

What do you reckon people will say you sound like? It’s garage rock but a bit grime-ier. We’ve been described as The Black Keys meets Pulled Apart By Horses. We want to be Children Collide meets Bodies but end up being white Wu Tang with electric guitars. Our EP is pretty diverse but you’ll understand when you come to a show. What do you love about making music? Making something out of nothing and then watching it sneak into other people’s heads. Playing it loudly to a room full of sweaty people and playing it so hard that it hurts a little bit. Like a sexy kind of hurt. What do you hate about the music industry? It’s all geared toward self destruction. It’s amazingly fun to play live shows every night but just not a natural process for the human body, and that’s without the partying. People want to see you bleed on stage and you want to do it to please them. We don’t play sport so this is about as macho as we get. We really, really enjoy it a lot but will probably not live very long. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuﬀ, who would it be and why? Probably G.U.R.U. He wouldn’t be that interested in our rock and roll but it would be a good opportunity for me to slap him around a bit and tell him to rap about something diﬀerent other than player haters for god’s sake. anyway have a listen to our CD we hope you like it. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? Probably Kaiser Chiefs. I’m sorry. They’re a great band and great musicians and all have great hair but there’s just something about their smarmy vibe that gets my knickers in a knot. They make me want to vomit in my shoe and then hump it and just keep screaming the whole time. What can a punter expect from your live show? It’s a mixture of hipster band guys/girls and suburban metal-heads. There will be horns, a smoke machine and enough sweat that we’ve actually started bringing our own band towel to shows. Leigh from Damn Terran suggested we drink Gatorade, it’s ridiculous. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? We’re just about to launch our debut self-titled EP which you can buy at shows, Thornbury Records and also from our Bandcamp page. Visit wearethedotcoms.com When’s the gig and with who? Saturday June 9 at The Old Bar with The Once Overs, Clavians and BJ Morriszonkle. Anything else to add? You should buy a dotcoms tee shirt. We ask people to send in photos of themselves wearing them for our website and now babes keep sending shots in, it’s the best.

CHERRY BAR Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a packed week at the Cherry Bar as always, starting with some tunes from Attack Of The Mannequins in their Wednesday night residency. This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special support act is Mercy Kills, with DJ Jack â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bitter Sweet Kicksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Davies â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 3am and entry is free. Then on Thursday May 31, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for the Melbourne based R&B/soul/garage band The Perfections, along with DJs Vince Peach and Pierre Baroni. Doors open at 5pm with door-charge $10 from 8pm â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 5am. On Friday, get ready for the album launch Hellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Likely from the self-proclaimed hairiest and loudest band in the world Mammoth Mammoth, with Los Amigos, The Fog and DJ Max Crawdaddy are then spinning some tunes. Saturday June 2 sees a single launch from possibly Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sexiest rock act, Cave Of The Swallows, along with Bury The Fallen and The Villian, with DJ Billy Walsh â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 3am, then DJ Big Scotty hitting the decks â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 5am. On both Friday and Saturday nights, doors open from 5pm, with $13 entry â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 11pm, then $10 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 5am. After that massive weekend lineup of shows itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be time to soothe your battered soul with another addition of Cherry Blues from 2pm â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 7pm. Chris Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken Walk with Dean Mullerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residency will perform two sets, with DJ Max Crawdaddy playing tunes. Free entry and so why not grab some of Ryanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cherry Chilli Con Carne. Kitty & Connah will then play â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til 2am.

INTO THE WOODS Bright eyed and bushy tailed, after the recording of their debut album, Into The Woods will be dazzling The Evelyn with their sweet hooks and tasty licks. Retro in the sense that everything before now is actually retrospective, Into The Woods fuse malt shop pop with diet soda and get malt shop diet soda pop. Joining the malt shop fusion are mini folk-rock army Autumn Gray, bringing their vast and colourful instrumental repertoire including trumpet, iPhones, harmonium, piano, synths and electronic beats, for a sound that is anything but rock-by-numbers. What this all actually means, is that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to come along to listen and ďŹ nd out. Autumn Gray with Wiley Red Fox is supporting. Doors open at 9pm this Thursday May 31.

THE CACTUS CHANNEL Mondays in June, get your groove on as The Cactus Channel excite the dance ďŹ&#x201A;oor with some high-octane car chase funk, and smooth soundtrack soul to move you unnecessarily. With some of Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nest funk and soul DJs dropping knowledge in between, you know some dapper times are going to be had, and best of all, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free. These uni holidays, there is really no excuse not to let your hair down, and get down. Roll on into The Evelyn this Monday June 4. Doors open from 8.30pm. Â

WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU Ponyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monthly indie party, Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Been Expecting You, is back again, with three smoking-hot bands and a ďŹ stful of drinks specials to quench the thirstiest puntersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desires. Kicking things oďŹ&#x20AC; are Skyways And Highways with their punch-drunk, scuzzy sunshine pop sounds. In the middle spot are lo-ďŹ shoegaze merchants Field Trip, bringing the Jesus & Mary Chain sounds minus the vertical hair. Last but not least, and headlining the night that will re-write your wildest dreams, are Manor. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gonna be a heck of a party so get down to Pony on Thursday May 31 for some sweet drink specials and even sweeter tunes.

BRIGHT STAR Bright Star are a new Melbourne band, and have been writing and rehearsing tirelessly for two years, getting ready to play some live shows. That time has come with Bright Star set to hit Pony for a special 1am late night show. The band bring their powerful live set to Pony on Thursday May 31, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free entry, so no excuses.

TERAMAZE Whilst loosely beďŹ tting the genre of thrash metal, the music of Teramaze conjures such adjectives as modern, innovative, progressive and groove-laden. Keeping the fundamental elements of metal alive in its music, Teramaze has the potential to push metal into unchartered waters with innovative guitar work, powerful grooves and soaring melodic vocals. New album Anhedonia is a critique of modern manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diminishing ability to experience lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple pleasures. Catch Teramazeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s explosive live show at the Bendigo Hotel on Friday June 1.

ELIZA HULL Tomorrow night, Thursday May 31, Melbourne songstress Eliza Hull will be celebrating the release of her debut EP Dawn at The ToďŹ&#x20AC; In Town with a full band and special guests. A truly passionate creation three years in the making, Dawnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seven tracks are resplendent with truth and heart. Joining Eliza and with a stunning new track of her own, I Understand to launch, Sophie Koh will grace The ToďŹ&#x20AC; In Town stage with her live band featuring D. Rogers, Tim Reid and Phil Collings. Sophie will be showcasing an array of new songs from her upcoming album Oh My Garden due for release in July. Doors open from 8pm, with presale tickets available for $15+bf, or for $18 on the door.

MUSIC NEWS

YOUR COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL GUIDE

For all the latest news check out beat.com.au

ZOLA JESUS

GLASFROSCH

Equally commanding and fragile, LAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Zola Jesus transcends genre with her shape-shifting mix of cinematic synth pop and darkly anthemic balladry. Danilovaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visionary mix of the traditional and futuristic has seen her heralded among Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most compelling young musicians, and at 22, she has performed alongside Fever Ray and The XX, as well as collaborated with David LynchandÂ Â and M83. Rich with live drums and synthesisers, and set to a thundering electronic soundscape, the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revered live show is crowned by Danilovaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intense visual presence and electric vocal range. Support comes from Fabulous Diamonds on Sunday June 3, with popular demand leaving Zola Jesus to announce another Melbourne act on Saturday June 2. Both gigs are being hosted at The ToďŹ&#x20AC; In Town, with tickets $40+bf, available through Moshtix.

Glasfroschâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sound is a colourful, dreamlike hallucination, inďŹ&#x201A;uenced from a diverse range of pop and experimental music, ďŹ lm music and jazz, which explores sound and genre to create new, and challenging music. Glasfrosch return to the Evelyn on Sunday June 3, with a special remix EP to celebrate the anniversary of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fulllength album, which features versions of the albums lead single Green, remixed by some of Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nest musicians and electronic artists. Joining Glasfrosch on the night will be special guests Sleep Decade, Karen Heath and Wild Honey Pie. Doors open from 8pm.

THE THOMAS OLIVER BAND

Get folked up at Pony! Granston Display, The Rafaellas, Elliot The Bully, Blame Lily and Shanachie are coming together for a night of beautiful tunes with each of the ďŹ ve bands oďŹ&#x20AC;ering up their unique style ranging from stripped down acoustic folk to high-energy rhythm and blues. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a fan of folk, head down to Pony on Friday June 1 and experience a lineup that will be attacking the genre from every angle.

Delivering a robust, gutsy roots sound, like rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll injected with soul, The Thomas Oliver Band (or The TOB as they are aďŹ&#x20AC;ectionately known) have amassed a hoard of fans in their home country thanks to their phenomenal live shows and tremendous debut album Baby Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Play. Garnering such accolades as Best New Zealand Blues & Roots Album 2011 on iTunes and a debut spot at number twelve on the NZ Music Charts, The TOB also nabbed a gong for Best Blues Video at the 2011 Australian Independent Music Video Awards in 2011 for Goin Home. Catch them at The Evelyn on Friday June 1, with support from Texture Like Sun and Karate Boogalo. Doors open from 9pm.

THE COUNCIL

SNOW TOWN

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably been about ten years since they ďŹ rst shook the Pony walls with the biggest rock sound of any two-piece in this town, and The Council are returning for more late night shenanigans. Drums and guitar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all you really need. So youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be getting sweaty and dancing this Friday June 1 when the band do the 2am late show at Pony in the only way they know how â&#x20AC;&#x201C; getting loose.

Snow Town started in late 2011, with members from ex local acts Elisa Card & As Liberty Falls coming together and jamming with mutual friend Batten in the mix as well. Keep your eye out for Snow Town! Head down to drink a lot and see some rad bands and see Disasters play their ďŹ rst show. All the action is at the Bendigo Hotel on Thursday May 31.

GRANSTON DISPLAY

DIRTY BALLROOM

DIRTY HARRIET & THE HANGMEN Get on down to Pony this Saturday June 2 to see the most anticipated band of 2012, Dirty Harriet & The Hangmen as they rip up stage for the 2am late spot. Combining their love of swamp-a-billy, rock, glam, murder ballads and cow-punk, the band has even thrown in a sailor shanty to keep the pints ďŹ&#x201A;owing for the punters. So pull on your drinking boots and see you at the bar this Saturday night.

Dirty Ballroom continue with their return to duty and hit the stage at the Bendigo Hotel on Sunday June 3 to host a Sunday afternoon session of loud, energy-fuelled rock. They headline a terriďŹ c lineup of three local bands that promise rock your heart and soul, and deliver where it hurts. Support comes indie rockers Sierra Leone and punk blues band The No. 1 Jones, get down to the Bendigo Hotel for a huge day of rockinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tunes.

CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, REVIEWS AND FREE SHIT AT BEAT.COM.AU

Beat Magazine Page 59

ALBUM OF THE WEEK THE BAMBOOS

OFF THE HIP

Medicine Man (Inertia Recordings)

WEDNESDAY 30 MAY

RESIDENCY - FINAL NIGHT

POCO LA PAX THNKR

DONATION ENTRY, 9PM

THURSDAY 31 MAY

INTO THE WOODS AUTUMN GRAY WILEY RED FOX

ENTRY $10, 9PM $2.50 POTS, $5 VODKAS!

FRIDAY 1 JUNE

DEBUT AUSTRALIAN TOUR

THOMAS OLIVER BAND TEXTURE LIKE SUN KARATE BOOGALO

ENTRY $18 DOOR, $14 PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 9PM

SATURDAY 2 JUNE

LOVE, EVELYN MARKET FREE ENTRY, 12PM

DOUBLE ALBUM LAUNCH

WHITE CELL KETTLESPIDER DRIVEN TO THE VERGE DEATH BY SIX

ENTRY $13 DOOR, $10 PRESALE THRU MOSHTIX, 8PM

The Bamboos know their stuff. They’ve been in the game for over ten years and have received props from some of the biggest names in the funk/soul world; including legendary pianist Eddie Bo and soul singer Syl Johnson. Naturally, a high standard is to be expected from long player number five. Medicine Man delivers the deep funk sound The Bamboos have become known for, plus some deviations from the path. A veritable host of guest vocalists appear on the album starting with homegrown boy, Daniel Merriweather, handling vocal duties on opener I Never. Merriweather’s style of unassuming neo-soul/R&B regrettably doesn’t do justice to The Bamboos’ musical backdrop, and this particular foray outside of their core genre ends up sounding rather mediocre. The mediocrity however stops there; as the rest of the album lifts its game to great heights. Megan Washington is next up to bat with Eliza, which flutters along sweetly. It’s cute and bouncy soulful pop and it works. As soon as the guitar riff for I Got Burned starts, you know you’re in treat for some traditional down and dirty funk. You Am I front man Tim Rogers nails that bruised and battered, ‘I’ve been done wrong’ croon and takes full ownership of the song. The grittier sounding vocalists definitely work better on Medicine Man, with regular band member Kylie Auldists’ four inclusions on the album all demanding your attention. Auldist has a powerful set of lungs on her and the necessary guts to command the nine-piece funk powerhouse that is The Bamboos. If Cut Me Down and What I Know don’t make you want to get up and get down, nothing will. Aloe Blacc, the biggest name on the album contributes an endearingly reflective tune, Where Does The Time Go? but after the dancehall

WILD HONEY PIE KAREN HEATH ENTRY $8, 8:30PM

MONDAY 4 MAY

DONATION ENTRY, 9PM $10 JUGS!

TUESDAY 5 JUNE RESIDENCY

SIMON WRIGHT BIG WORDS DJ BIG KAHUNA BURGER DONATION ENTRY, 9PM $10 JUGS!

COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX: THE CACTUS CHANNEL (MON IN JUNE) SIMON WRIGHT (TUES IN JUNE) VAN MYER (WED IN JUNE) HIATUS KAIYOTE (7 JUNE) LAURA (8 JUNE) SKA WEEKENDER (9 JUNE) FORCES + DIAMOND (10 JUNE) JAREK – ALBUM LAUNCH (14 JUNE) MAJOR TOM & THE ATOMS – EP LAUNCH (15 JUNE) THE VAUDEVILLE SMASH (16 JUNE) HEAVEN – RETURN TOUR (22 & 23 JUNE)

5. Wilderness Years LP KILBEY/MAYMI 6. Sleeping Dogs CD THE VICTIMS 7. Nonlocal Motives CD THE NO REAL NEED 8. Sings The Blues LP NINA SIMONE 9. Do The Pop CD VARIOUS 10. Clear Bags 7”&12” MR HINES

WOOLY BULLY madness of previous track What I Know, its earnest subject matter feels a little out of place. Medicine Man crackles, pops and ﬁzzes. The mellow vibe on the neo-soul and pop tracks allows you to rest your tush (sometimes unwillingly) before the grinding funk gets you back up and swinging your thing. By all means, The Bamboos should keep pushing the genre envelope but deep funk will always be where the band make sparks ﬂy.

Jasmine (XL/Remote Control) A seductive tremor of Prince-inspired funk by feted London producer Jai Paul. Muddy synth makes you lean in close, jarred Vangelis-style beats keep you on your toes and Jai’s whispered falsetto hooks you in place. Listen to it in the dark for full, shiver-inducing impact.

HEAVY BEACH

1963 (Independent) A steady, weighty slice of post-rock in the Sonic Youth tradition. Ali E fronts this Melbourne three-piece, her smooth but understated voice oﬀ-setting the thick web of duelling guitars. Tough to pull oﬀ this kind of ‘90s retro sound, but Heavy Beach manage it well; nice and atmospheric.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

Honeycomb/Gotham (Domino/EMI) And this is what they did next. Launching the follow up to their groundbreaking 2009 album Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective crank up the intensity of their day-glo electro psychedelia. Honeycomb is oddly rigid, despite the many layers of warped synth and the sunny, harmonised vocal melody, driven by a ﬁerce staccato rhythm. It’s colourful, but not joyful – imagine Animal Collective with an undercurrent of impatient rage, brilliant but a little cold. B-side Gotham is stretched and peeling, like a Beach Boys melody pulled through a toﬀee stretcher. There are moments of genius here, bombastic peaks amidst the trippy, elastic soundscape that feel like explosions under water. Loosely structured, strange and wonderful.

Quan Dang (Warner) Mildura duo Jackson Firebird have got an early Beastie Boys-meets-Judgement Night rock/rap fusion going on, with a lyric sampled from Beats International’s Dub Be Good to Me. Nice and energetic – not nearly as overreaching as it sounds.

1. When Christine Comes Around 7” GRUDGE 2. Everything Goes Wrong LP CONSTANT MONGREL 3. Hard Rubbish LP LOWER PLENTY 4. Split LP SCOTT & CHARLENE’S WEDDING/ PEAK TWINS 5. Ex Tropical LP LOST ANIMAL

KRYSTAL MAYNARD Best Track: What I Know If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE METERS, SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS, THE MENHAHAM ST BAND, JAMES BROWN In A Word: Progressive

6. She’s The One To Blame 7” TAV FALCO & THE PANTHER BURNS 7. Slug 7” RAMONES 8. Caveman 7” THE AVENGERS 9. I Made Blood Better LP MAD NANNA 10. Almost Ready 7” THE NORMALS

T-REK

JACKSON FIREBIRD

Beat Magazine Page 60

4. Smell My Finger 2xCD HARD-ONS

TANLINES

JAI PAUL

GLASFROSCH SLEEP DECADE

3. Para Vista LP SCOTT & CHARLENE’S WEDDING

BLEEDING KNEES CLUB

THE CACTUS CHANNEL DJ MANCHILD

REMIX LAUNCH

2. Anthology 2xLP GOD

I suspect Marieke Hardy only started a new blog so she had somewhere to display her boobs. It’s probably got something to do with feminism. You know how prostitution is really empowering for single mothers with a meth addiction? Like that.

RESIDENCY

SUNDAY 3 JUNE

1. Anthology CD PERDITION

SINGLES BY SIMONE All Of Me (Remote Control) All Of Me appears on Mixed Emotions, the debut album by Brooklyn-based duo Tanlines (Jesse Cohen and Erin Emm). They are right in the pocket between Animal Collective and Vampire Weekend with this peppy electro pop single, a summery party song driven by the vocal melody, with synth keys ﬁrmly ﬁxed on the ‘Caribbean Steel Drum’ setting – a real Brooklyn cookie-cutter sound. Not inherently bad, but depressing for its hipster orthodoxy. You know how everyone at the Fed Square design market is selling the same quirky owl pillow? Inspires roughly the same feeling.

TOP TENS

Girls Can Do Anything (I Oh You) The boys add a dulcet little girl choir to the background of their thunderous garage punk, just to reinforce the message that we can do anything. Thanks for the support, fellas. New Strange (Rubber Records) Remember when Kid Koala and The Avalanches delighted us with their sample-riddled scratch rock? Seemed quite revolutionary a decade ago. I don’t know that this sound has progressed to retro-cool, but T-Rek is attempting to revive it nonetheless. Here’s hoping the slamming big beat dance music sound of New Strange still has an audience.

GALAPAGOOSE

SYN SWEET 16 1. The Great Fire FUTURE ISLANDS 2. Avalanche JUST FRIENDS 3. Craver LOWER 4. Darlin’ JEREMY NEALE 5. Way To War (W II W) KIRIN J CALLINAN 6. Justine JULIA STONE 7. Avalanches FOUNDS 8. Enough KINGFISHA 9. Still Left With Me CRAFT SPELLS 10. Dead Sailor STAGNANT POOLS

COLLECTORS CORNER AND MISSING LINK 1. Mag Issue #33 UGLY THINGS

Rhizome (Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control) Melbourne artist Trent Gill collates warm synth notes, piano accordion samples and vocal layers to produce something akin to the music of James Blake. Stuttering and remote, but beautifully textured.

2. De Dermis Mysteris HIGH ON FIRE

CHARLIE MAYFAIR

6. The Stevens THE STEVENS

Waste Me (Independent) Brisbane quintet Charlie Mayfair appear to have modelled themselves on Evanescence (because we needed another one of those). Appearing on their second EP Fall In Time, Waste Me is a series of long, high-pitched wails by singer Hannah Sheppard set against a generic break beat, occasionally ﬂanked by portentous electric guitar riﬀs. All very intense and theatrical.

DZ DEATHRAYS

Dollar Chills (I Oh You) This rocking little garage punk tune saw Brisbane’s DZ Deathrays booted off stage during SXSW. It is a mind-melting thing, played live. The recorded version feels very polite by comparison, right up until the squalling, electrified final chorus, when the boys start screaming and hammering their guitars like the snotty pubescent troublemakers they are.

EMMA LOUISE

Boy (Independent) Emma Louise is a young singer out of Brisbane who has a tenor in her voice that reminds me of Missy Higgins, although her music is less prosaic and pop-y. She also sounds like Laura Marling. A touring single, released apropos of nothing with Emma works on a debut album, Boy is a warm, low-key tune with a dense landscape of synth notes and a metronomic rhythm. Nice.

SINGLE OF THE WEEK DIRTY PROJECTORS

Gun Has No Trigger (Domino/EMI) Gun Has No Trigger is the ﬁrst release from the Dirty Projectors’ new album, Swing Lo Magellan. There’s a familiar but brilliant intensity in the backing harmonies, rising to a hysterical peak in the chorus. Meanwhile, David Longstreth does something creepy and sensual with the melody, painting a scene of absurd and fruitless desperation with his singular, soul-shaking voice. Amazing.

FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO BEATTV.COM.AU/REVIEWS

3. Lillie:F-65 Saint Vitus 4. Blunderbuss JACK WHITE 5. Beard Wives Denim POND 7. Master Of My Make-Believe SANTIGOLD 8. Aberranet Years FEEDTIME 9. God GOD 10. Blood For The Master GOATWHORE

THORNBURY RECORDS 1. Ex Tropical LOST ANIMAL 2. The Only Place BEST COAST 3. Blunderbuss JACK WHITE 4. Bloom BEACH HOUSE 5. Oﬀ! OFF! 6. Boys & Girls ALABAMA SHAKES 7. 2 NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER 8. Dancing On Sinking Sands BULLS 9. This Machine DANDY WARHOLS 10. Between The Times And The Tides LEE RANALDO

BEAT’S TOP TEN SONGS ABOUT BIRDS 1. Birds NEIL YOUNG 2. Birds APPARAT 3. Birds M83 4. Bird Stealing Bread IRON & WINE 5. I’ll Be Yr Jailbird M. WARD 6. Slow This Bird Down BOARDS OF CANADA 7. Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons PIXIES 8. Bluebird SWAN LAKE 9. City Bird OF MONTREAL 10. Strange Birds COIL

ALBUMS

RÜFÜS

Rüfüs (Blue) EP (Gigpiglet Recordings/Inertia) FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO

BEAT.COM.AU/REVIEWS

TENACIOUS D

Rize Of The Fenix (Sony) Rize Of The Fenix indicates Jack Black and Kyle Gass have little left to offer as comedyrock duo Tenacious D. Within seconds, the pair acknowledge the critical evisceration of cinematic venture and predecessor, The Pick Of Destiny. On the one hand, you have to admire their candour, but it’s a peculiar way to kick off an album. “Remember how shit we were? Here’s a crash course!” To make matters worse, Rise Of The Fenix actually emerges a more perilous misfire. Ironic, really. The album flits between crass and self-referential comedy. If Black and Gass aren’t talking themselves up/down, they’re mindlessly spouting profanity or expounding upon genitalia. If this sounds all-too-familiar, it really is. Cast your mind back to Tribute and Wonderboy: both were sufficiently self-referential singles – and indeed songs of self-reverence, too – and now we’re back covering the same ground here, musically and thematically. It’s been a decade and Tenacious D are basically the same band. Classical Teacher sees Gass get raped by Black (yes, really) and Flutes And Trombones revolves around an in-studio brawl. Both interludes blatantly betray logic, the skits riddled with enough holes to undermine the album’s best shot at comedy gold. Unfortunately, it ought to be ashes to ashes, dust to dust Best Track: To Be The Best If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Tenacious D TENACIOUS for comedy-rock duo Tenacious D, their latest venture limited, bland and unessential. D, The Pick Of Destiny TENACIOUS D In A Word: Stale NICK MASON

I’ll come right out and admit it: I’m a child of the ‘80s and damn proud of it. While that era came to be known for many things (greed, the Cold War and skinny ties come to mind), one aspect of the so-called “Me Decade” was its music – synth-pop specifically warming this scribe’s cockles. Depeche Mode, Camouflage, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark, Erasure – these bands and many more provided a notable and highly danceable soundtrack to my youth, a soundtrack that to this day provides great happiness to me and many others of that particular generation. Sydney indie-dance trio Rüfüs, I am delighted to say, have proudly and quite majestically encapsulated the non-stop ecstatic dance music from the era, infusing it with a modern immediacy and injecting buckets of soul, to boot. Their second self-titled EP in as many years (subtitled (Blue)) transports the listener back to those halcyon days of old. The six tunes that make up (Blue) are smooth, glistening and assured pop gems that demand repeat listens. Tryone Lindqvist’s vocals are a wonder to behold, as are Jon George’s lush synth-scapes and James Hunt’s rhythmic drums. Opener (and first single) This Summer is a lovely track, resplendent with shimmering effects coupled with haunting lyrics – evoking a dreamy anticipation of sorts. The enigmatic Droplets alternates between a hypnotic lullaby and sci-fi space rock, bringing to mind early krautrock masters Tangerine Dream. Talk To Me is pure Italo-Disco all the way, full of driving beats, tinkling piano and pointed synths. (Blue) closes out with an outro of This Summer, stripped down to its ragged soul: sad, yet hopeful … and ultimately bittersweet. All said, Rüfüs’s second foray into the world of quality synth-pop is a pleasure to listen to; it’s really a quite accomplished work – I, for one, am looking Best Track: Droplets forward to what this young band has in store for If You Like These, You’ll Like This: DEPECHE MODE, us in the future. NEW ORDER, CAMOUFLAGE, CUT COPY THOMAS BAILEY In A Word: Dreamy

ELIZA HULL

Dawn EP (Independent) A self-funded release, Dawn marks the next chapter in Eliza Hull’s exciting career. The EP is an especially raw and honest release sporting genuine promise. The super-smooth Without Words saunters beautifully, its sultry rhythm simply hypnotic. Its emphatic chorus ensures it’s not only the best track on offer, but an obvious and viable choice of single. Meanwhile, a dash of drum and bass colours the outro of ache-laden track Saturation and the inclusion of Mark Pearl on Hold On makes for a nice surprise. It’s when Hull bravely strips back her approach, trusting simply in her expertise as a pianist for the likes of Falling and Lately, that the EP loses a little bit of its charm. Dawn is an intimate album, satisfying and certainly ripe for replay on any icy winter evening. To embrace the EP outside of a seasonal context or a specific emotional climate, however, might prove difficult – the sheer weight of Hull’s introspection perhaps too much to handle. By her own admission, Dawn is an intensely personal album, honest to the end, and as a result, it’s riddled with angst, tension and an intense saturation of drama. Hull’s music walks a fine line between yielding potent pop songs and overblown sob-stories. There’s sufficient Best Track: Without Words If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Meiko MEIKO, On A Clear evidence of the former throughout Dawn, but it’s important to note that the EP very much stays the course Night MISSY HIGGINS as an emotionally-heavy release overall. In A Word: Heavy NICK MASON

KRYSTLE WARREN & THE FACULTY Love Songs (Parlour Door Music)

Truly unique, Krystle Warren turned away oﬀers from major record companies who threatened to compromise her artistic integrity, instead opting for the indie alternative. The Kansas born singer is based in Paris, which lends to her interesting fusion of soul, jazz, country and folk. With deep contralto vocals, Warren has been likened to Nina Simone and fellow folk singer Tracy Chapman. In Love Songs her powerful but breathy voice blends between soulful balladry, intertwining elements of ragtime, lively swing, gospel and country. With a remarkable vocal rage, her brassy voice murmurs yearning and bliss throughout the album, creating strong crescendos based against a minimal musical background. The stand-out track is You Can Take Me With You. A song layered with ethereal harmonies, it is one that displays Warren’s range with elegance and beauty. She wields together elements of jazz piano with blues guitar, topped with her soulful voice. Best Track: You Can Take Me With You If You Like These, You’ll Like This: NINA SIMONE, PATRICK EMERY JANELLE MONAE, TRACY CHAPMAN In A Word: Rare

MOONFACE

With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery (JagJaguwar) When you hear Spencer Krug’s voice, there’s no mistaking it for anything else. When it comes to committing to one particular sound, however, he’s something of a shapeshifter. The now-defunct Wolf Parade was his sturdiest anchor, with Krug indulging his wilder experimentations under guises such as Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes and Swan Lake. He has now settled into the Moonface moniker, though going by the past two Moonface releases – the percussive 20 minute Dreamland and the buzzing, chaotic Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped – he’s hardly going to be settling into one specific style. There are two parts to that clumsy album title and they’re both pretty self-explanatory: Helsinki’s post-rock act Siinai are the backing band for this collection and Krug uses heartbreak as a subject for his lyrics. Perhaps the most unexpected thing about the final result is how accessible it is compared to Krug’s previous releases. This is not necessarily a bad thing – in fact, after a disappointing final album for Wolf Parade, it’s satisfying to hear Krug really let rip with a full backing band (drums and guitars, not marimba and organ) and create a consistently strong collection. There are times where Krug seems a bit self-conscious about dumbing down his leftfield ramblings (‘It’s a shitty city now’ is just daft), but mostly it gives him a vital new vein to tap into. It pays off with a particularly invigorating middle of the album: pounding drums and sordid Korgs drive the all-too-short I’m Not The Phoenix Yet, followed by the tribal slow-burn of sister tracks 10,000 Scorpions and Faraway Lightning. It’s only toward the end that you really get a feel for the Best Track: I’m Not The Phoenix Yet If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Dragonslayer SUNSET heartbreak of the album’s title, with the epic anthems Headed For the Door and Lay Your Cheek On Down. But RUBDOWN, The Hawk Is Howling MOGWAI bravery? It’s there in spades, on every song. In A Word: Brooding CHRIS GIRDLER

NED COLLETTE & WIREWALKER 2 (Dot Dash/Remote Control)

It has been more than two years since Melbourne-based Ned Collette relocated to Berlin and the songs from his new album 2 are the fruits of his journey. Displacement is a running theme throughout but more so the twin sides of isolation; the loneliness of the road and elation of solitude. The core of the album was recorded with Joe Talia (Wire Walker bassist/synth player Ben Bourke took time off to be with his young family) making for a tighter and clearer aesthetic. The common thread is the sound of Collette’s Spanish guitar, conjuring minor key landscapes, and textural explorations (For Roberto) that gesture towards Berlin as the mythical musical city in David Bowie’s Heroes and Low. Musically and lyrically it shares similarities with the work of Leonard Cohen. The Hedonist bringing to mind Cohen’s at his most desperate in Songs of Love and Hate while the synths of 2 make it seem like the strange cousin of I’m your Man however with a more organic band sound. Collette’s voice has always reminded me of Paul Kelly’s. It is not as laconic or personable, at times it is even icy, but it still has the same brittleness that cuts through. He uses this to great effect in Il Futuro Fantastico where, over a tribal drum beat, he reels off scenes of suburban paranoia and some deft electric guitar bursts. 2 is not all minor mood; there is a sense of hope even pride in some of the songs. The first single Long You Lie sashays to a great four-on-the-floor rhythm and delivers, unexpectedly, a rousing chorus. The guests on the album add some colour and depth; Laura Jean and Biddy Connor counterpoint the starkness of How to Change a City with some disco style harmonies while Sascha Gersak’s vocal on Long You Lie has Germanic seriousness. At times the density of lyrics can have a claustrophobic effect and some of the best moments are when the lyrics are simple and repetitive. Happy Heart’s charming blues guitar figure and easy gospel backbeat make the lyric “I’m running faster on my own, I want my happy heart alone” a sweet mantra. Though he’s always been a good songwriter, 2 is a maturation in sound for Ned Collette & Wirewalker. Best Track: Long May You Lie If You Like These, You Will Like This: LEONARD COHEN, Though some of the music and lyrics will seem obtuse, these refined and carefully arranged songs will reward NICK DRAKE, GARETH LIDDIARD, MARTIN CRAFT listeners with repeated listens. In A Word: Crystalline BOJAN STOJANOV

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Beat Magazine Page 61

GIG GUIDE WEDNESDAY 30 MAY ROCK/POP 4TRESS + CHARM + MEL CALIA + YOSHITORO Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. ATTACK OF THE MANNEQUINS + MERCY KILLS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. ISAAC DE HEER Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm. KIM CHURCHILL + BENJALU + BENNY WALKER Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 7:30pm. $15. LITTLE WISE (EP LAUNCH) + LAUREN GLEZE + OH! PEP John Curtin Hotel, Carlton. 7:00pm. $10. LOST & FOUND - FEAT: ALEX ANONYMOUS + ARTILAH + MISSFIRE + THE SOULENIKOES Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $10. MARK & THE BAND OF UNFORGETTABLES Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. PAUL O’ROURKE + HAIL MARY + ROYAL MERCURY + STEVE APPROVED Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. POCO LA PAX + THNKR Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. PRINCE Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. 7:00pm. SANS GRAS + UDAYS TIGER Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. TENDER BONES + DRAWING ARCS + THE ZONKS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE ELLIOTS Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:00pm. THE TEMPER TRAP + SEEKAE Forum Theatre, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $67. UNCOMFORTABLE BEATS - FEAT: CANDICE MONIQUE & MZ RIZK + ABLE 8 + GELIDO + GHOSTSOUL + SHIKUNG Bar Open, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK BLACKCHORDS Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKENWALK + JUNK HORSES Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. DAVEY LANE Johnston Street Milk Bar, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. HARRY MANX & YESHE Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 8:00pm. $45. JD LOVE ALBUM PROJECT Clifton Hill Hotel, Clifton Hill. 9:00pm.

OFFICER PARROT + THE ROWBOATS Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. OPEN MIC Dancing Dog, Footscray. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. OPEN MIC & JAM NIGHT Grind N Groove, Healesville. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC & RECORDING NIGHT Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. SUI ZHEN (ALBUM LAUNCH) + ELVA + FANNY LUMSDEN Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $10. WINE WHISKEY WOMEN - FEAT: KATE LUCAS + FREYA HANLY Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. ZOE KEATING + HEIDI ELVA Toﬀ In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $20.

JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC

AMON TOBIN

ADE ISHS TRIO Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $5. BOPSTRETCH Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. DIZZY’S BIG BAND Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. GIANNI MARINUCCI NONET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. KEWTI + THE BEN CARR TRIO 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. THE PAUL GRABOWSKY QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. TULLY SUMNER Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm.

And you thought the Daft Punk pyramid was something special? Shit son, you’re in for a treat. Amon Tobin, one of electronica’s most luminary names, is bringing him absolutelyfuckingridiculous ISAM stage show to Australia and it is going to Blow. Your. Mind. Don’t believe me? YouTube. Right now. Search: “Amon Tobin ISAM Mutek” and thank me later. The Palace. Tuesday June 5. SHIT YES.

THURSDAY 31 MAY ROCK/POP

1AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: BRIGHT STAR Pony, Melbourne. 1:00am. 29TH APARTMENT ACOUSTIC NIGHT - FEAT: TIM BRAUN 29th Apartment, St Kilda. 9:00pm. AM FARROWS + DISASTERS + SNOW TOWN + THE SERAPHIM VEIL Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. BIKES4LIFE - FEAT: ALSTON KOCH + LEE LEE + MISS MAN + PAUL PACIOCCO + THE HIDING Red Bennies, South Yarra. 7:00pm. $20. BITS OF SHIT + CUNTZ: ALBUM LAUNCH + PASSION FRUIT + SYNTHETIC TEXTURES Bar Open, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

F 31st May from 8-10pm

2nd JUNE from 9-11pm

June Moon Republic

Matt Larkin

3rd JUNE from 6:30-8:30pm

Jason Lowe

CANYONS + NO ZU Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:00pm. $15. CLAN ANALOGUE (CD LAUNCH) Horse Bazaar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. DAMN TERRAN + DEEP HEAT The Liberty Social, Melbourne. 8:00pm. DIAMOND & GIRL Bar Nancy, Northcote. 8:00pm. EDITH VIGNAL + BLAME LILY + PAUL BERRY + RARE CHILD Idgaﬀ Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. ELECTRIC (CULT TRIBUTE BAND) - FEAT: ELECTRIC ALICE + BLACK FUEL Musicland, Fawkner. 8:00pm. FRASER A GORMAN - FEAT: FRASER A. GORMAN + THE MURLOCS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. INTO THE WOODS & AUTUMN GREY + AUTUMN GREY + INTO THE WOODS + WILEY RED FOX Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. KESHIE + DRAWING ARCS + MATT GLASS Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm. KIRA PURU & THE BRUISE + JOSHUA SEYMOUR + NEIGHBOURHOOD YOUTH Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. LA BASTARD + MURDER RATS + ROAD RATS Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. LOS DOMINADOS + PONY GIRL & THE OUTSIDERS + THE DIVINE FLUXUS Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $5. MARK & THE BAND OF UNFORGETTABLES Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. MATT LARKIN Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 8:00pm. SCARLET GUN + THE BROOKLYN HOOKERS + VERONA LIGHTS Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. $10. SHARAYA (ALBUM LAUNCH) + ELECTRIC MARY Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. $20. SLOW CHASE + LANE CHASE + MIMI VELEVSKA + PENNY CROSS The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. SPARKSPITTER + SQUAREHEAD Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $8. THE HELLHOUNDS Pure Pop Courtyard, St Kilda. 6:00pm. TRANSVAAL DIAMOND SYNDICATE + GUTHRIE + KING OF THE NORTH + SHERIFF Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 8:00pm. WE’VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU - FEAT: MANOR + FIELD TRIP + SKYWAYS ARE HIGHWAYS Pony, Melbourne. 8:30pm.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ANDY SWANN BLUES BAND Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. ASH NAYLOR Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. ASHLEY NAYLOR Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. ASHLEY NAYLOR Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00am. BIG SEAL & THE SLIPPERY FEW + ELLIOT THE BULL + GRANSTON DISPLAY + MICHELLE MEHAN + ROSIE BURGESS TRIO Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. CORAL LEE & SILVER SCREAM Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm. ELIZA HULL (EP LAUNCH) + SOPHIE KOH: EP LAUNCH Toﬀ In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $15. GENEVIEVE & JEZABEL - FEAT: GENEVIEVE & JEZEBEL Rice Queen, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. GUY KABLE + ESSAY EDWARDS Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. JAMES KENYON + JOHNNY GIBSON + KEL DAY Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. OPEN MIC Acoustic Cafe, Collingwood. 6:30pm. OPEN MIC Arcadia Hotel, South Yarra. 7:00pm. RED MOON JUKE Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 1:00pm. $14. THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN BAND Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 7:00pm. THE TAYLOR PROJECT Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 8:00pm.

JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC BELINDA ALLCHIN BEETET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. FE FI FO FUM + BEN NIEUWKIRKSTRANGE AWAKBeat Magazine Page 62

SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU

ENING + SHELLEY FEGAL Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. GIAN SLATER & THE NAT BARTSCH TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:30pm. $15. JAYNE LANE Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:30pm. KIM KELAART TRIO 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. SYZYGY Open Studio, Northcote. 8:30pm. TANGO RUBINO Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. TEMPUS Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. THE PERFECTIONS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. YVETTE JOHANSSON & THE JOHN MONTESANTE QUINTET The Commune, East Melbourne. 6:00pm.

FRIDAY 1 JUNE ROCK/POP 2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: THE COUNCIL Pony, Melbourne. 9:30pm. BLAZEGUARD DVD LAUNCH - FEAT: THEM BRUISES Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. $10. CHANNEL SWITCHER + STRAYLOVE + THE CORSAIRS + THE LATONS Idgaﬀ Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. DEAR STALKER + DIRTY CANARY + THE MERCURY THEATRE Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $10. FAHRENHEIT 43 + STEEPLEJACK The Hammy, Melbourne. 10:00pm. FAR FROM NOWHERE + CRUEL TO BE KIND + DREAMS IN MONOCHROME + RAISE THE STAKES + THESE CITY LIGHTS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. HUMANS Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. HUMANS AS ANIMALS + SHELLY SEGAL + THE FEEL GOODS 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. IOWA + KING OF THE NORTH + MARY OF THE MOON Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. IVY ST + CAT CAT + DJ SPARKLES + LADY DREAMS + PAGEANTS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. JANTINA & THE JAGUARS (SINGLE LAUNCH) + CADS OF YORE: SINGLE LAUNCH + COTTON SIDEWALK Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. JIMMY BARNES + DAVE LARKIN + MAHALIA BARNES Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. KEEP LOVE FUNDRAISER - FEAT: JALAPEANO PUNCH + DEAD BEATS + DECLAN SYKES + GODWOLF + MIYAZAKI! + TFA Noise Bar, Brunswick. 7:30pm. $15. LAURA IMBRUGLIA + BEN MASON + THE COURTNEY BARNETT BAND Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. MAMMOTH MAMMOTH + LOS AMIGOS + THE FOG Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. MARK & THE BAND OF UNFORGETTABLES Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. NICHOLAS ROY (EP LAUNCH) + AL PARKINSON + SECOND HAND HEART Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $12. NO ESCAPE FOR THE KING + JUDE SAINT JUDE Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:30pm. SCAR THE SURFACE + BRONSON + HAILMARY + ISAW + SPECTRUM The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. SHOOT THE SUN + SLOW CHASE + SWEET TEENS + WILDERBEAST Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. SHREDFEST - FEAT: TERAMAZE + ARBIA + MASON + THEY Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. $10. SIN & TONICS + ROAD RATS + THE TEARAWAYS Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. SIRENS - FEAT: DEATH OF ART + PYRENE + THE GARDEN OF EIDA + WRITTEN IN RUINS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. THE GREAT ABORIGIONAL ROCK LEGEND SHOW - FEAT: COLOURED STONE + BART WILLOUGHBY + JAYDEN LILLYST + LADY LASH + LEE MORGAN + MONICA WEIGHTMAN + RICHARD FRANKLAND Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $23.

THE JEZABELS + LIGHTS + SNAKADAKTAL Festival Hall, West Melbourne. 7:30pm. THE LAST 5 MINUTES + LEWIS Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;REILLY Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 10:00pm. THE ONCE OVERS + BAD VISION + DJ SHAKY MEMORIAL Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 9:30pm. THESE HANDS + DUCK DUCK CHOP + ONION + THE TELEVISION SKY Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $12. TZU (SINGLE LAUNCH) + AXOLOTL + GALAPAGOOSE Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. $20. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WINTER MUSIC IN THE ROUND - FEAT: CANOS + THE APRIL MAZE + WINTERLIGHTS Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury. 7:08pm. $10. X (FINAL SHOW) + BITTER SWEET KICKS + SEX TAPE Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:30pm. $17. YOU & YOUR MUSIC + ECHODRAMA Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK 3CR BURNING VINYL - FEAT: CASH SAVAGE + EATEN BY DOGS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 2:00pm. BAKERSFIELD GLEE CLUB Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. $8. BLUEGRASS PALACE Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm. DAN ROLLS + DEL LUNA + NICOLETTE FORTE Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. DANIEL CHAMPAGNE 7:30pm. $17. DICKFINGER + D-GRADES Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. GRANSTON DISPLAY + BLAME LILY + ELLIOT THE BULL + SHANACHIE + THE RAFAELLAS Pony, Melbourne. 9:30pm. GRAVEYARD TRAIN (CD LAUNCH) The Hi-ďŹ , Melbourne. 8:00pm. $25. HYFRYDOL Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 6:00pm. JACK MITCHELL Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 8:30pm. JOHN BACON BLUES Scarab Bar, Belgrave. 8:01pm. KHS BLUES BAND Balaclava Hotel, Balaclava. 9:00pm. MICHAEL OLIPHANTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GENTLEMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HOURS Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. THE BAKERSFIELD GLEE CLUB Pascoe Vale Rsl, Pascoe Vale. 8:00pm. THE F100S Highway 31, Brunswick. 8:00pm. THE T-BONES Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 9:30pm. THE THOMAS OLIVER BAND + KARATE BOOGALO + TEXTURE LIKE SUN Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $14. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSIONS - FEAT: DAN BOURKE Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 6:00pm. TRIO AGOGO 303, Northcote. 6:00pm. WIRE BIRD (SWINGS LAUNCH) + OAKS + TENIELLE Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $5.

JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC BOMBAY ROYALE + DAN THE MAN Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. CAT CANTERI Wesley Anne, Northcote. 6:00pm. CLASSIC SOUL COVERS - FEAT: FORMOSA + TIMES UP Musicland, Fawkner. 8:30pm. $10. DE LA CALLE + LUCAS MICHAILIDIS Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. FEM BELLING & THE HOWARD BELLING TRIO Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. FRANCISCO TAVARES + DJ ARLEN DE SILVA Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm. GRAND WAZOO Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. $10. MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ GALA (THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT) Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:30pm. $69. NORIA LETTS QUINTET Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $20. ROBERT HURST & THE JAMIE OEHLERS TRIO Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 11:00pm. $25. THE BERNIE MCGANN QUARTET (A 75TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION) Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $28. THE IMPERSONATORS Red Bennies, South Yarra. 7:00pm. $20. THE JAMES RYAN & SCOTT TINKLER BAND Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. TRUMPET Rice Queen, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

60 SECONDS WITHâ&#x20AC;Ś

JALAPENO PUNCH

THE MISSION IN MOTION Those dapper lads The Mission In Motion are jet setting around Australia on their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;All Work No Payâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tour. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know who The Mission In Motion are then what the frigginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hell are you doing? Get out from under your rock and turn on the goddamn radio. These dudes are slaying triple j at the moment and fresh oďŹ&#x20AC; the back of the mammoth Soundwave Festival theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be road testing road testing new material from their forthcoming sophomore album. Joining the bill is Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jonesez who have been turning heads since the release of their debut album Bettyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soup, so, yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;know, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gonna rule. Saturday June 2 at The Tote. Lock it in. VILLIAN Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $13. CHRISTINA PERRI Palais Theatre, St Kilda. 7:30pm. $52. CLAMPDOWN Rochester Castle Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. COCOPHONICS + SLEEPY DREAMERS The B East, Brunswick East. 8:45pm. DAVE LARKIN + 67 SPECIAL + DAVEY LANE + MAHALIA BARNES Phoenix Public House, Brunswick. 9:00pm. DEF FX & INSURGE + DEF FX + INSURGE + ATTACK OF THE MANNEQUINS + DJ ASH & FRAZER Corner Hotel, Richmond. 8:30pm. DISASTERS + GREY NURSE + THE APPROACH + THE EVERCOLD IdgaďŹ&#x20AC; Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. $5. DRUNK MUMS + MESA COSA + SKOTDRAKULA Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $5. ELECTRIC ALICE + SEEDY JESUS + SHAMAN SON + XENOS Rubyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lounge, Belgrave. 8:00pm. $10. EXILE + FORTUNATE SON The Prague, Thornbury. 8:00pm. GHETTO GHETTO + CLAVIANS + HOUNDS HOUNDS HOUNDS Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood. 9:00pm. $5. GIANTS UNDER THE SUN + JAKE TURNER + NO LOVE FOR LEXI + SECONDS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. GLASS TOWERS + HARTS + THEM SWOOPS Workers Club, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. GREY GHOST + ELECTRIC OPERA + GOOD VS EVIL + PHIL PARA + PRIVATE LIFE Espy, St Kilda. 6:00pm. HOUSE OF ROCK Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $15. JACKET OFF Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:30pm. JVG GUITAR METHOD Union Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. LES GARCONS (SINGLE LAUNCH) + Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LL BE AN INDIAN + RETURN TO YOUTH + WHEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NICK? Pony, Melbourne. 9:00pm. MARK & THE BAND OF UNFORGETTABLES Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. MOON REPUBLIC Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 9:00pm. MURDERDROME FUNDRAISER - FEAT: SPEED DEMONS + MURDER RATS + SIN & TONICS Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick. 9:00pm. $12. PAPA CHANGO (ALBUM LAUNCH) + BISCOTTI + THE CACTUS CHANNE Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 8:30pm. $12. PERDITION + 12FU + BASTARD SQUAD + BULLETPROOF + SPEED DEMONS + VICIOUS CIRCLE Espy, St Kilda. 6:00pm. $15. SIMPLE PLAN Festival Hall, West Melbourne. 7:00pm. $59. SPACE ECHO Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 10:00pm. THE FLOORS + DJ DR LUDWIG + THEM BRUINS Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 10:00pm. THE MISSION IN MOTION + CELADORE + IKATII + JONESEZ Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. THE MODERN AGE + DIAMONDS OF NEPTUNE + THE PEEKS Cornish Arms, Brunswick. 8:00pm. THE STU THOMAS PARADOX Tago Mago, Thornbury. 9:00pm. THESE PRECIOUS THINGS + MELIZMA + STREET

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ROCK/POP 2AM LATE SHOW - FEAT: DIRTY HARRIET & THE HANGMEN Pony, Melbourne. 2:00am. ALLY OOP & THE HOOPSTERS + JANE DUST & THE GIANT HOOPOES Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 5:00pm. BANG - FEAT: KISS CHASY + ANCHORS AWAY + THE PLAYBOOK + VIKING FRONTIER Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $20. BATTLE OF THE BANDS - FEAT: CATHARSIS + BLACK MAYDAY + BRUTAL ASSAULT + DEFYING THE NORM + FRETBUZZ + MISS NICHOLLS + PARIAH + YOSHITORO Musicland, Fawkner. 7:00pm. $10. BEAUTIFUL CHANGE + MARY WEBB + WISHFUL Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $8. BROOZER + GOONBAG COLOSTOMY + GRIM RHYTHM + MOTHERSLUG National Hotel, Geelong. 8:00pm. BURIED FEATHER + DJ SEAN SPOILS + PONY FACE + SIMON & BRON Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $10. CAVE OF SWALLOWS + BURY THE FALLEN + THE

So then, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the band name and what do you â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the band? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Jalapeno Punch and we like to dance around. What do you think people will say you sound like? We like to think of ourselves as Say Anything meets Kisschasy meets Bagster meets George Michael meets The Wiggles with a little bit of 50 Cent thrown in the mix; and then you take that, and you put it in a massive pot, like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re cooking a casserole and you let it simmer for an hour or two, and then right before you serve it, you sprinkle some freshly chopped Carly Rae Jepsen on top. Well, obviously not literally chopped up Carly Rae Jepsen, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t condone that; just the spiritual essence of Carly Rae Jepsen. But most people would probably just say we sound like alternative punk meets ska or jazz. What do you love about making music? We love making music, and we love making love. And in a way, music is like making love, because you have five sweaty guys in a cramped room and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loud, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just banging around on everything, and we love that. What do you hate about the music industry? A lot of artists have a lot to say about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong in the music industry, but none of them ever really tackle the most important and pressing issue: when are we going to get an *NSYNC reunion?! If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? I think Bono would really enjoy our music, to the point where it would give him a massive Bono. What. Up. What can a punter expect from your live show? Our live shows have a lot of energy, a lot of dancing around to enthusiastic, jazz-punk music, and a lot of really terrible ad lib jokes about bears. When are you playing live next and with who? On June Saturday June 2, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be tearing up at Noise Bar in Brunswick with the likes of Godwolf and Declan Sykes from the last season of The X Factor. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be an awesome night, with a crap-tonne of bands and plenty of drinks. Also, your one true love might be there, and so therefore if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come to the gig, you may be missing out on your one chance at love. And is that something youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re willing to gamble? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve you got to sell CD-wise? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve only got a few demos up online, which you can find from our Facebook: facebook.com/ jalapenopunch. But the best way to hear our music and get a feel for what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all about is to just come see us live and â&#x20AC;&#x153;get jiggyâ&#x20AC;?, as the saying goes. Anything else to add? Hi mum, hey look Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in a magazine!

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Beat Magazine Page 63

60 SECONDS WITH… ELIZA HULL

Define your genre in five words or less: Electronic pop. What do you love about making music? I just love the expression part of it. it’s a way to let go for me. I love the feeling of just sitting and writing a song on my piano and then making the song grow. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? My debut EP, Dawn is out now in all good record stores. When’s the gig and with who? I am launching Dawn at the Toff In Town with my band on Thursday May 31 with support from Sophie Koh. I am so excited to finally have the EP out there to share! How long have you been gigging and writing? I have singing since I was five, and I wrote my first song when I was about 15, I have been writing ever since then. I started performing when I moved to Melbourne from Wodonga when I was 18. I started performing with an original band Describe Eliza, and also performing with DJs singing such as Tigerfunk and Mixstress. I am really excited to be releasing something under my own name for the first time. What inspires or has influenced your music the most? Other artists with a similar style like Lamb and Portishead. Melbourne artists like Ainslie Wills, Haarlo, Hayden Calnin and Texture Like Sun. Writing poetry, relationships, life and the two producers who helped me with this release Jonathan Steer and Leigh Fisher. Tell us about the last song you wrote. I just recently wrote a song with Hayden Calnin titled Ghosts. It was an absolutely pleasure working with him. We pretty much wrote, produced and recorded the song in one day and it’s something I am really proud of. What’s your favourite song, and why? My favourite song is Goreki by Lamb, because it still feels like it’s the first time I am listening to it when I have listened to it so many times. Plus it gives me goose bumps. How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments? I like to have balance. I do a lot of writing myself; I write poetry and work at Australian Poetry. I also run a music blog with some others called Large Noises. I love doing a lot of different things – it keeps life interesting.

Beat Magazine Page 64

FANGS Idgaﬀ Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. TRENTFEST - FEAT: DEAD + CHAOS KIDS + JOHNNY NOT SORRY + MERRYGOROUNDS + REDFIELD + SORDID ORDEAL + THE PRETTY LITTLE’S + UDAYS TIGER Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. $10. TROPICAL SPACE LAB - FEAT: CUMBIA COSMONAUTS + DJ SACA LA MOIS + LEWIS CANCUT Bar Open, Fitzroy. 10:00pm. VICTOR PENDER Cape Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. WEEKENDER - FEAT: MUTATIONS + BRASHS + DJ STEVE WIDE Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $10. WHITE CELL & KETTLESPIDER (DOUBLE HEADLINER) + KETTLESPIDER + WHITE CELL + DEATH BY SIX + DJ ESQUIRE + DRIVEN TO THE VERGE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $12. ZOLA JESUS + FORCES + LIGHT ASULUM Toﬀ In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $40.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK ADAM WALDRON + ALEISTER JAMES CAMPBELL Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:00pm. BEN SMITH & THE NOISE DIARY CHAPTER Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:30pm. CHERRYWOOD Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. FUNK BUDDIES + JULES BOULT 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10. GRAVEYARD TRAIN (CD LAUNCH) The Hi-fi, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $25. LES THOMAS + ALYSIA MANCEAU Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 4:00pm. LOONEE TUNES + ECHO DRAMA Penny Black, Brunswick. 9:30pm. MATT DWYER’S LAS VEGAS GRIND + DJ BAGALICIOUS Luwow, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. OPEN JAM Open Studio, Northcote. 4:00pm. PLAGUE DOCTOR Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 9:00pm. PLYMOUTH REVERENDS Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 8:30pm. RICH DAVIES Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. SAMMY Q + BETH KING & THE HEMMINGWAY COLLECTIVE + TIM WOODS Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. SIMON HUDSON Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 10:00pm. SPECTRUM Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 8:30pm. SPOONFUL Post Office Hotel, Coburg. 8:30pm. THE BLACKEYED SUSANS Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. THE MONIQUE BRUMBY TRIO Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 9:00pm. THE PRAIRIE KINGS + FRUIT JAR Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 9:30pm. THE SAND PEBBLES Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 9:00pm. YOU & THE COLONIES Rice Queen, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.

JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC CARLOS FERREIRA & SUINGUE BRAZUCA Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 9:00pm. $20. CHRIS POTTER & THE JAZZGROOVE MOTHERSHIP ORCHESTRA Forum Theatre, Melbourne. 8:00pm. MICK PEALING & THE PRAIRIE OYSTERS Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh. 8:00pm. $15. MURPHY’S LAW Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $25. PAINT THE TOWN Tony Starr’s Kitten Club, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $5. REBECCA MENDOZA + DJ ARLEN DE SILVA Prince Maximillian, Prahran. 8:30pm. ROYAL HELL Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. ROYAL HELL - FEAT: HAILEY CRAMER + ICON ELECTROBOX Open Studio, Northcote. 7:00pm. $8. SWING TRAIN Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Cbd. 9:30pm. $20. THE CAVE OPENING NIGHT - FEAT: JAZZ PARTY + LACHLAN MITCHELLS BIGGISH BAND + MARTIN MARTINI The Kelvin Club, Melbourne. 10:00pm. THE ELI DEGIBRI QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 11:00pm. $30. THE ZAC HURREN TRIO Uptown Jazz Cafe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

SUNDAY 3 JUNE ROCK/POP ATLUK Town Hall Hotel, North Melbourne. 6:00pm. CHAINED LIZARD + SORDID ORDEAL + THE UNKIND Idgaﬀ Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. DATUM POINT - FEAT: TRANSIT GHOST + GALAX + LIGHT SAYS SOLO Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 4:00pm. $5. GLASFROSCH (GREEN LAUNCH) + KAREN HEATH + SLEEP DECADE + WILD HONEY PIE Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $8. HALF PINTS & STRAWBERRY FIST CAKE + CRUNT BURGERS + DIXON CIDER + HOPES ABANDONED + KMART WARRIORS Tote Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. $10. HUMANS AS ANIMALS + JUMPIN JACK WILLIAM Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. JASON LOWE Elwood Lounge, Elwood. 6:30pm. JIMMY BARNES + DAVE LARKIN + MAHALIA BARNES Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. LITTLE MURDERS + THE INTERCEPTORS + THEE WILD OSCARS Bar Open, Fitzroy. 7:30pm. MARK & THE BAND OF UNFORGETTABLES Gasom-

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eter Hotel, Collingwood. 6:00pm. $20. MASS FEST - FEAT: TRUE RADICAL MIRACLE + BAD ACHES + BATPISS + DEAD + DJ ROHAN REBEIRO + EAST LINK + JUSTIN FULLER + MATT BAILEY + MEAT DISPENSER + PEARLS + SPINNING ROOMS Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 3:00pm. MATTY GREEN Bar Nancy, Northcote. 8:00pm. MILDSPARROW & THE MIGRATIONS Thornbury Local, Thornbury. 4:00pm. SIMON WRIGHT Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 7:30pm. SUNSET BLUSH + BRONNIE COULL + BROOKE TAYLOR + SOPHIE ROSE 303, Northcote. 2:30pm. THE RAIN FACTORY + PHOBES DREAM Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 7:00pm. THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS + ALI E + DJ GEORGE HYDE + THE MURLOCS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. $10. VELVET CAKE GYPSIES Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. VENUS FIRE (SINGLE LAUNCH) + SUGARCRAFT + TEXTURE LIKE SUN Workers Club, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. ZOLA JESUS + FABULOUS DIAMONDS Toﬀ In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $40.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK BACKWOOD CREATURES Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 5:00pm. BARB WATERS & MOTHERS OF PEARL + MARTY KELLY & AUBURY MAHER Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East. 5:30pm. BILLY O’NEILL & THE HEADLINERS Mentone Hotel, Mentone. 3:00pm. CHARLES JENKINS Carringbush Hotel, Abbotsford. 4:00pm. CHERRYWOOD Old Bar, Fitzroy. 1:00pm. $5. CHRIS RUSSELL’S CHICKEN WALK + DEAN MULLER Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 2:00pm. COLLARD GREENS & GRAVY Union Hotel, Brunswick. 5:00pm. DAVEY LANE + GLASS TOWERS + JD LOVE ALBUM PROJECT Pure Pop Courtyard, St Kilda. 4:00pm. DIRTY BALLROOM + SIERRA LEONE & THE NO. 1 JONES Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood. 4:00pm. $6. DUST Edinburgh Castle, Brunswick. 5:00pm. FRASER A GORMAN BAND Standard Hotel, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. GOYIM Great Britain Hotel, Richmond. 8:00pm. GRIZZLY JIM LAWRIE Bar Nancy, Northcote. 6:00pm. JIMI HOCKINGS BLUES MACHINE Wheelers Hill Hotel, Wheelers Hill. 3:00pm. JULES BOULT The Bay, Mordialloc. 4:00pm. LIONHEIR + BAND OF FREQUENCIES Wesley Anne, Northcote. 8:00pm. $10.

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Beat Magazine Page 65

GRAVEYARD TRAIN WOAH NELLY. One of the most loved bands around ol’ Melbourne town are finally returning to the stage. The ramshackle outfit performed one of the shows of 2011 when they pulled off a massive spook-tacular at The Forum, and have made their presence felt on the festival circuit ever since. As well as forging a reputation as a live act not to be missed, Graveyard Train have just released their new album Hollow – and it fucking rules, earning our album of the week last week. Expect to hear a hefty sample of tracks from that album, as well as their well-adored body of classics, when Graveyard Train hit The Hi-Fi on Friday June 1 and Saturday June 2.

WHITECELL KETTLESPIDER

Black, Brunswick. 5:00pm. STEVE HOY + THE BAKERSFIELD GLEE CLUB Drunken Poet, West Melbourne. 4:00pm. SUNDAY JAM Musicland, Fawkner. 2:00pm. THE BAKERSFIELD GLEE CLUB Middle Park Bowling Club, Middle Park. 4:00pm. THE BITTER SWEETHEARTS Post Oﬃce Hotel, Coburg. 4:00pm. THE KERRYN TOLHURST BAND Way Out West Roots Music Club, Williamstown. 2:00pm. $15. WARREN EARL & THE ATOMIC ROCKERS Gem Bar, Collingwood. 8:00pm.

JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC DIVINA PROVIDENCIA Grocery Bar, St Kilda. 8:00pm. GEORGE GARZONE Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 1:00pm. HERE MISS QUARTET Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm. JOSE NIETO Cruzao Arepa Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. LUCA CIARLA MASTERCLASS Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 4:30pm. $37. MCCOY TYNER TRIO Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 8:00pm. MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTS - FEAT: HUE BLANES TRIO Federation Square, Melbourne. 12:00pm. NEW YORK JAZZ SEXTET 303, Northcote. 8:00pm. $5. NUDIST FUNK ORCHESTRA + BAD BOYS BATUCADA + DALE RYDER BAND Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. PORTMANTEAUX Tago Mago, Thornbury. 5:00pm. THE ANNA GIKILSON QUARTET Open Studio, Northcote. 4:30pm. THE LUCA CIARLA QUARTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $25.

MONDAY 4 JUNE WHITE CELL & KETTLESPIDER Local stalwarts White Cell and Kettlespider are teaming up for a dual album launch and are set to turn shit out. There’ll also be support from the ilk of Driven To The Verge, Death By Six and then from midnight DJ Esquire is gonna take to the decks and keep the party going alllllllll night lawwwwnnngggg. Warning: If you request Rack City you might have head split with a 12”. This Saturday June 2 at The Evelyn. Sweet. LUAU COWBOYS Victoria Hotel, Brunswick. 4:00pm. OPEN MIC Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 4:30pm. OPEN MIC AT THE CHANDELIER ROOM Chandelier Room, Moorabbin. 5:30pm. PEARLY SHELLS Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00am. PETER BAYLOR’S ROADHOUSE ROMEOS Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. SHANNON BOURNE Bay Hotel, Mornington. 3:00pm. SHERRY RICH & THE NEW FOLK HEROES Penny

60 SECONDS WITH…

GLASFROSCH

Define your genre in five words or less: I’ve given up doing that. If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why? I don’t know. All my musical heroes are alive and still creating. Maybe Delia Derbyshire. She’d be awesome to share sound ideas with. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music, who would it and why? I was going to say Simon Fuller, but it’s probably too late to save us from the reality music television abomination. Can I combine this question with the time travel one, go back and try to save us? If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be? Bowie. He’s slick, professional, and a massive

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MUSICIANS WANTED ACOUSTIC ACTS WANTED for Bar Betty in Smith Street, Fitzroy. Paid Gig. Please phone Sandra or Michelle on 9417 3937. Bar Betty - 129 Smith Street, Fitzroy. BANDS & PROMOTERS WANTED. Any style for Collingwood venue. First gigs welcome, live CD recording available. Contact Jane after 12pm on 0425 796 828. BANDS WANTED for artist showcase in the Espy Gershwin room. A great step towards bigger shows. Contact mark@ gunnmusic.com.au Beat Magazine Page 66

ROCK/POP EATEN BY DOGS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. MATT CORBY + ALPINE + HAYDEN CALNIN Forum Theatre, Melbourne. 7:30pm. $34. MONDAY NIGHT MASS - FEAT: WARPIGS + ROUSSEMOFF + SLOCOMBE’S PUSSY Northcote Social Club, Northcote. 6:00pm. OPEN MIKE MONDAY - FEAT: YOUR BAND Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 6:30pm.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK FRASER GORMAN Post Oﬃce Hotel, Coburg. 8:00pm. GERRY HALE’S BLUEGRASS SESSIONS Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. JAMIE MACDOWELL + FRANKIE ANDREW + TIM WOODS Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. SECRET MONDAY ACOUSTIC SHOW Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SHANNON BOURNE Post Oﬃce Hotel, Coburg.

8:00pm. STEWART KOHINGA Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. THE MONDAY DRFIT Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 8:00pm.

JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC LEBOWSKIS 303, Northcote. 9:00pm. $8. RONNY FERELLA & MIROSLAV BUKOVSKY DUO La Mama Theatre, Carlton. 7:30pm. THE ALLAN BROWNE SEXTET Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $23. THE CACTUS CHANNEL + DJ MANCHILD Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. THE ELI DEGIBRI QUARTET + HIROMI Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:30pm.

TUESDAY 5 JUNE ROCK/POP DIRTGIRL ROCKS THE PLANET St Kilda Memo, St Kilda. 11:30pm. $15. PATRON SAINTS Cherry Bar, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. THE LIMELIGHT Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. $10. THE SIMON WRIGHT BAND + DJ BIG KAHUNA BURGER Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy. 9:00pm.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK COLLAGE - FEAT: CLEVELAND BLUES + DAVE GILLEN + MATT GLASS + PIERCE BROTHERS + SUNDAY CHAIRS Espy, St Kilda. 8:00pm. JACK JOHNSTONE Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. KLUB MUK 303, Northcote. 7:30pm. LAKES OF RUSSIA + FABIEN TOONEY & MAXIMILLIAN WHITE + ONION Old Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. OPEN MIC Empress Hotel, North Fitzroy. 7:30pm. RUTH LINDSEY Labour In Vain, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. TUESDAY HOUSE OF BLUES - FEAT: DAVE HOGANS MELTDOWN Royal Standard Hotel, West Melbourne. 8:00pm. VICTORIANA GAYE Retreat Hotel, Brunswick. 8:30pm.

JAZZ/SOUL/FUNK/WORLD MUSIC ALBARE Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank. 7:30pm. $69. HIROMI Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. 8:00pm. $48. MELBOURNE JAZZ TROMBONE ENSEMBLE The Apartment, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. $10. PHIL CEBERANO & TONY KOPA SHOW Dogs Bar, St Kilda. 9:00pm. PRESHIL Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond. 8:00pm. $14. STRING THEORY Open Studio, Northcote. 8:00pm.

EXPERIENCED DRUMMER with a commitment to practice and regular rehearsals required for alternative rock band. Inﬂuences QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Nirvana etc. www.myspace.com/mollydredd phn: 0411 372 469 LAP STEEL PLAYER wanted for one day of recording at Newmarket Studios in North Melbourne. Will pay cash. Must have pro gear. 0434 300 959

SERVICES BAND PHOTOGRAPHY. If you’re interested in photography for your band/artist artwork please visit my blog for an example of my work. http://conspeaks. wordpress.com * MAN WITH A VAN. Best value movers in Melbourne. Now with trucks!!!! Equip with 1 or 2 experienced men, trolleys and removal blankets. Available 7 days. Check out www. manwithavan.com.au or call us on 9417 3443.

whatson@thepush.com.au

ACCESS ALL AGES WITH RUTH MIHELCIC Get out your social calendars, fill then with some cool gigs happening this week like The Jezabels, Simple Plan, and a Push Start Battle of the Bands competition. Then add in the latest news for the all ages music scene, because we’ve got plenty here for you! As if Decibel Records wasn’t offering enough to young bands in the Darebin area with its six month music industry program, you can now go into the draw to win a $100 JB voucher just for liking their facebook page anytime until the end of May. Too easy! Coming up next month is a campfire and music night to celebrate Schizophrenia Awareness Week. Bring your food and some music and bunker down at the African Village Fire Place in Ceres Park, corner Roberts and Stewart Street in Brunswick on June 30. To RSVP your place, email skybeanz@gmail.com. Hip hop enthusiasts from refugee and newly arrived backgrounds should check out the free hip hop dance classes in Wyndham. Starting on Wednesday 6 June from 4:30pm to 5:30pm and running for four weeks, the classes will be held at the Wyndham Vale Community Learning Centre at 86 Manor Lakes Blvd, Wyndham Vale. There are only 20 places available, so you’ll need to complete an expression of interest form and return it to the New Hope Foundation asap! For more info contact Jackie on (03) 9974 1700. And lastly, Kingston Youth Services and Fuse Productions are hosting their annual Push Start Battle of the Bands. If you’re a young band from the Kingston area and want to win some great prizes, you have until July to get in contact by emailing fuseproductions@kingston.vic.gov.au for an application and more info. Got more all ages news that we should know about? Send it to whatson@thepush.com.au!

ALL AGES TIMETABLE

Friday June 1 The Jezabels w/ Lights and Snakadaktal, Festival Hall, 300 Dudley Street, West Melbourne, 7:30pm, $50, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA Havick w/ DJ Disco Gold, Wedderburn Hall, 4pm – 6pm, $10, Tony Bellenger on 5438 7464 or loddon@ loddon.vic.gov.au, AA

influence, but since he’s not really performing any more, let’s say Tortoise. I think we’d get along swell. What’s your favourite song, and why? Oh, there’s so many. Possibly Maybe by Bjork, Codex by Radiohead, Ashes To Ashes by David Bowie, Nong Eye Gong by Dilinger Escape Plan, Alphabet Street by Prince. It’s always changing. Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them? Our full length album If You Go Far Enough Into The Sky You’ll Come Out underwater is available online from anon islet records/ itunes/ bandcamp/or on CD at gigs. When are you playing live/releasing your album/EP/ single/etc? We’re launching a digital remix EP on Sunday June 3 at The Evelyn. Anything else to add? Percentage daily intakes are based on an average adult diet of 8,700kJ. Your daily intake may be higher or lower depending on your energy needs.

DRUMMER LOOKING FOR BAND OR PLAYERS. Played with Liquid Engineers in the mid 80s (see You Tube Countdown Liquid Engineers). Looking to play for enjoyment. Originals preferred but happy to play anything. Micheal: 0404 093 139

+ BEAT PRESENT...

Maribyrnong Push Start Battle of the Bands w/ The Smith Street Band Disasters, Idreamofgenre, The Sleepy Dreamers, Said the Virgin, Hard Reign, and Head First, Phoenix Youth Centre, 72 Buckley Street, Footscray, 5:30pm – 10pm, $10, Dejah Grull on 9091 4700, AA Mitchell Music Mix w/ Strickland, Asperity Within, James Maloney, Admit One, Adrian Talarico, Conservative Colonel, and Michael Worthy, Broadford Town Hall, Broadford, 5:30pm – 10:30pm, Free, Buffy Leadbeater on 5734 6313, AA Park Rd Hall Gig w/ The Getaway Plan, The Redcoast, Glass Towers, and Oh Pacific, Park Rd Hall, Bendigo, 7pm – 11pm, $20, Rory White on 5434 6092, AA

NEW REHEARSAL ROOM. Now open in Reservoir. Great rates and facilities. One-oﬀ and long term bookings available. Single room, so get in quick! Contact Matt 0405 968 160 THINK MOVING SUCKS? Call Little Red Trucks! Moving Melbourne everyday. Call 9380 6444 or head to www. littleredtrucks.com.au

EMPLOYMENT FLAUNT IT. Internationally acclaimed producer of profeminist erotica looking for conﬁdent, adult women to smash the stereotypes and earn good money ($500 and up). Don’t overlook this til you’ve found out more about it. Rebecca 9495 6555 or www.feck.com. TALENT AGENCY SEEKING NEW ARTISTS INTERNATIONALLY! Must be Original! Able to Perform Live! Be ready to Tour or Exhibit Works! Be willing to be Sold Online in Europe, Australia & Internationally! Note: Agency Representation Fee: 1,500 euro per annum. For Interviews & Submissions Contact Jacinta Arcadia in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, T: +31 616369621 E: gm@ vonprussia.com W: www.VonPrussia.com *

SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU

Fahrenheit 43 & Steeplejack, The Hammy, Westwood Place (off Bourke Street), Melbourne, 10pm, Free, Lauren.Cockerell@aus.salvationarmy. org or 0424 193 442, AA Saturday June 2 Simple Plan w/ We The Kings and The Never Ever, Festival Hall, 300 Dudley Street, West Melbourne, 7pm, $59.34, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands Heat w/ Define The Signal, Jazmine Rose, Dirthy Roomers, Under Scarlet Skies, Miranda, and Stutter, Exhibition Hall, 1 South Rd, Warragul, 6:30pm – 10:30pm, $5, Sarah Dalton on 5625 0255, AA Christina Perri, Palais Theatre, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda, 7:30pm, $51.90, ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100, AA Sunday June 3 Resist The Thought w/ Hallower, The National Hotel, 191 Moorabool St, Geelong, AA

GS T GI TS A L AL VEN GB ! E E & THE FRE E AR

FRIDAY JUNE 1ST Wed. May 30th: wine, whiskey, women

8pm: Freya Hanly 9pm: Kate Lucas Thurs. May 31st:

8pm: The Taylor Project (2 sets) Fri. June 1st:

6-8pm: Trad Irish Music Sesh with Dan Bourke & friends Sat. June 2nd:

9pm: Monique Brumby Trio Sun. June 3rd:

4pm: The Bakersfield Glee Club 6:30pm: Steve Hoy

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TOWN HALL HOTEL 33 ERROL STREET, NORTH MELBOURNE (03) 9328 1983 FOR BAND BOOKINGS PLEASE CONTACT MILES: TOWNIEBANDS@GMAIL.COM SUBMIT YOUR GIGS TO GIGGUIDE@BEAT.COM.AU

Beat Magazine Page 67

FROM NEXT WEDNESDAY THE 6TH OF JUNE (BEAT ISSUE #1323) BACKSTAGE WILL BE RUNNING THE OPTION OF FULL COLOUR ADVERTISING.

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for more information or ad bookings call Aleksei on 9428 3600

For new full colour ad pricing please contact Aleksei on 9428 3600 or email mixdown@beat.com.au STORE PROFILE

SKY MUSIC Sky Music owner Anthony Li (right) and team member Mick Jones hard at work building their new guitar department.

18 Duffy street Burwood 3125

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Location: 2181 Princes Highway, Clayton, 3168. Directly opposite IKEA Springvale. Established: Since humble beginnings back in 2006, Sky Music has exploded onto the music retail scene. Its massive range of gear, competitive pricing and professional service has struck a chord with guitarists across Australia. Main brands and products: It could be worth poking your head into Sky Music this weekend - we’ve heard a whisper the team will unveil a huge stash of Fender guitars to hang alongside their crazy range of Gibson, Epiphone, Maton, Cole Clark, Martin and Indie guitars. Sky Music also sells Peavey, Marshall, Orange, Kustom BOSS, Digitech, Roland and Yamaha products.

Point of difference: Where else can you see over 700 guitars hanging on the walls? Sky Music has the biggest range of guitars and amps in Australia, and the staff will go out of their way to make sure you find the right gear at the best price possible. Upcoming sales: This week Sky Music will be putting the finishing touches on their newly renovated guitar department, so for the next 60 days the guys will be pumping out special deal after special deal to celebrate. Check www.skymusic. com.au for the latest sale details or better yet, drop in to check out Sky Music’s collection of guitar gear. It must be seen to be believed! Sky Music Phone: 03 9546 0188 Website: www.skymusic.com.au • • • •

Albums EPs Singles Demos

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LIVE

PUBLIC ENEMY Thursday May 17, The Espy It was a pretty rough crowd down at The Espy, but that was to be expected. After all, this was Public (mutherfuckin’) Enemy! The rap legends have been in the game for 25 years – that’s longer than any one member of One (fuckin’) Direction has been alive. Melbourne posse The Psyde Projects opened the night. The two MCs looked similar to Ice Cube from Higher Learning and Daniel Faraday from Lost, but they brought the noise. With a talented DJ to complete the lineup, they sounded like a cross between Cypress Hill, Ugly Duckling and early OutKast. Needless to say, they were impressive. Seth Sentry followed, but failed to lift the tempo. The crowd fell a little flat as he reeled off his “radio-friendly” brand of hip-hop, including that irritating The Waitress Song. When the intro for Public Enemy No. 1 started, the crowd was packed in and pumped up. Chuck D exploded on the stage to a sea of raised fists and nodding heads, and everyone backed him word for word. Flavor Flav appeared until mid-Rebel Without A Pause. The hype man did exactly

what he came to do, and had everyone chanting in sync. From there, PE reeled oﬀ hit after hit, including Don’t Believe The Hype, 911 Is A Joke, He Got Game and Welcome To The Terrordome. After hearing about his cameo in Sydney, the crowd went crazy when Flav mentioned Prince – I even saw one girl cry in excitement. But unfortunately, they were just pointing out Prince’s entourage who were sitting in the back room. Unfortunately, after such a good start the remainder of the show went a little downhill, with a few new songs and what seemed like un-rehearsed raps over the beats of Rapper’s Delight and Fight For Your Right (To Party). CHRIS BRIGHT LOVED: The ﬁrst half. HATED: The last half. DRANK: Beers from little plastic cups.

KING OF THE NORTH Saturday April 28, The Palace

BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE Saturday May 19, The Forum It’s inevitable that every Australian show from the Brian Jonestown Massacre will be judged in the context of the band’s infamous first visit almost ten years ago. Back then, Anton Newcombe was strapped onto a psychological rollercoaster of his own chemically-induced design. It was, as one person close to the tour once remarked, more than a train wreck – Newcombe had lost sight of the tracks – both metaphorically and literally in some cases – and his band mates were equally perplexed at the direction in which the notoriously volatile multi-headed psychedelic hydra was headed. Each successive visit from the Brian Jonestown Massacre has been a little more cogent, the degree of difference between the various lines of intraband input less obvious to the untrained eye. Anton has remained the titular leader of the group; the return of Matt Hollywood to the fold suggests personal differences may have been overcome in the wake of maturing years, or at least ignored briefly for the sake of commercial return. Immediately prior to tonight’s set – as The Raveonettes reached a level of performance described objectively as awesome, a friend remarked that Jonestown was approaching a coherency once anathema to the band’s entire modus operandi; later on, after Jonestown had left the stage, the potentially pejorative assessment ‘slick’ was bestowed upon the performance. Certainly, this was a night when the disparate parts of the overall Brian Jonestown Massacre machine worked together like a well-engineered machine, with no fuss, no banter, and ne’er a step seeming out of place. Newcombe assumes his usual position

on the left of stage, though it’s rare to see him drop into the slowly nodding demeanour that we all know and love. Matt Hollywood is somewhere between enigmatic and debonair; his interaction with his band mates is trivial at best. Joel Gion is the original vibes master, slapping a tambourine like a spiritual groove merchant leading the crowd to kaleidoscopic waters, punctuated with occasional vocal forays. Frankie Emerson slots between Gion and Ricky Maymi ; the latter’s on-stage movements are more than the rest of the band combined. The set has plenty of highlights – Supersonic, Jennifer, Anenome, There’s A War Going On, Not If You Were The Last Dandy On Earth. For all of the cosmological explorations, every Jonestown track has at its beating heart a deceptively simple riff. It’s the Beatles bent into weird shape like a bend-me-stretch me doll, the Rolling Stones painted in complimenting luminescent colours or the Thirteenth Floor Elevators sliced and diced into dovetailing pieces. The finale is picture perfect: Servo precedes Straight Up And Down, which segues into Sympathy For The Devil and back again. The band leaves the stage, the lights come on, and it’s over. Slick maybe; comprehensively satisfying definitely yes. COLLIS KING LOVED: Straight Up And Down into Sympathy For The Devil. HATED: Not a lot, actually. DRANK: Beer.

MUTEMATH Tuesday May 15, Corner Hotel Mutemath have made a huge impression in Australia during their first visit in this form, and they’re not coy about expressing their joy. It’s a grand thing, considering the acts they’ve been offered up to as (sacrifice?) support in the past, and no wonder Warner had problems deciding what to do with them – so much so their contract was nearly shelved early on. The New Orleans four-piece are truly original and each musician is highly accomplished in his own right, making for an incredibly exciting and technically explosive combo live. An eerie clothesline crucifix strung with fairy lights traipsed through and above the crowd, while synths built sand with a grain of salt to accompany the procession. Odd Soul burst out as the group appeared on stage, with guitarist Todd Gummerman playing up the trills and drummer Darren King mixing up his fills every time. Lead vocalist Paul Meany immediately made it clear there are no fancy production tricks going on with his voice on record – he can hit every one of those high notes and does so while attacking the keyboards in perfect rhythm. Pryotania was next and the sound desk seemed to be having a couple problems mixing Meany’s vocals, which is forgivable considering the amount and variation of sounds which were emanating from the dais. King was also visually lost momentarily, in a billow of smoke, which was a shame as he’s amazing to watch – doing his nana and shaking his head like a dog. Things balanced again by the time single Blood Pressure began; Meany’s keys were a particular wonder. Moving about with elation, his left hand beat at the keyboard like he’s enthusiastically Beat Magazine Page 70

Fans of rock‘n’roll, The Palace salutes you! Their House Of Rock nights deﬁnitely live up to the name – the place breathes rock ‘n’ roll, from the hardcore tunes to the hardcore crowd. By the time King Of The North started, everyone was pumped, fairly drunk and ready to go. The duo from Adelaide has literally been making a lot of noise in the world of rock (having opened for Cold Chisel the week before). The energetic twopiece have the stage presence of an entire rock ensemble, with their sound continually changed thanks to guitarist Andrew Higgs’ crafty amp conﬁgurations. Drummer Danny Leo looked badass, with a beard that would impress ZZ Top and some serious power behind those sticks. The dynamic is similar

to The Black Keys, but it’s obvious that their main inspiration is the legendary Led Zeppelin – the boys even finished with a cover of Immigrant Song. Higgs' vocals are almost pitch-perfect to Robert Plant’s and he’s capable of holding the high notes, on a similar scale to Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell. The boys finished with a song from their upcoming EP called Ride, which was harder than their other stuff but it was good to finish on such an intensive high. CHRIS BRIGHT LOVED: Embracing the rock vibe. HATED: That it didn’t go all night. DRANK: Everything.

THE BOMBAY ROYALE Saturday May 19, The Hi-Fi Multicultural rock with hints of the visual buﬀoonery of Madness videos and The Village People with a splash of Kid Creole and The Coconuts in the mix. An album launch to a full house is always a handsome start to dreams of a better, higher reality. Although with band numbers clocking over the dozen and suddenly the proﬁt share becomes micro and not macro economy of scale. Nevertheless, the audience lapped up the Hindi and Bengali, language tunes presented by The Mysterious Lady and The Tiger with relish. The Skipper or Andy Williamson of Labjacd fame steered a tight course swapping from MC duties to occasional saxophone as the need required. The rest of the jazzed up and funked up band had their separate identity such as The Bandit Priest, The Jewel Thief, The Railway Mogul and so forth. All a little too typecast and and you get the feeling it was like going to a theatre restaurant without the dodgy food. So when they swung into You Me Bullets Love, the only song sung in English, or some traditional Bobbywood or Jaan Pehechen Ho it was all met with a tremendous response. Not that the audience was the critical type to dissect what is a seemingly

novel idea, but, as we all know, the novelty hour has a limited time frame and the clock is ticking. But who knows, maybe a Rolling Stones type eons long career is not the vision for The Bombay Royale anyway. Certainly they are well drilled and rehearsed, and for a time, rather captivating. But it all comes down to what the listener wishes to achieve from the experience. If the funny moves and the glitz and colour of costumes are your style, then come on board. But if you seek something more emotionally charged then wait for the next boat. And at the end of this Saturday night one could not help feeling like a stranded tourist and yearning for We Are Augustines. BRONIUS ZUMERIS LOVED: Feeling the enjoyment of the neverending party on the quayside knowing that l could not aﬀord a ticket on the Titanic. HATED: Crazed commuters on public transport. Racism and spitting has no place in this town. DRANK: Krupnikas. The elixir of the gods.

LAST DINOSAURS Northcote Social Club, Wednesday May 2

patting an Alsatian and his right kept the funky chords going. Dedicating an instrumental jam of Odd Soul to the late MCA, Meany told the crowd that the Beasties have always been a great inﬂuence on what Mutemath do. There is a real element of jazz about the ensemble; several tracks began with drums and/or organ, then introduced each instrument into the fold. Their grooves are actually like a very tight funk band, each dude really getting the feel of the others as songs progressed and improvisations increased. The keys became oﬀ-beat, and Meany recorded the crowd’s singing and yelling, mixing it percussively into the track. Precluding Chaos by stating that they’ve “been together for eight years,” and were “trying to cram everything in,” the next half an hour included confetti bazookas gunning around Meany while he sang from on top of the sound desk, King handing his drums out to the audience and then thrashing at them like a Michel Gondry clip, a rousing rendition of the band’s Like A Version track (Alicia Keys’ Fallin’) and Meany rowing his way around the crowd in a blow-up boat. Mutemath managed to squish everything in and more, and it’s impossible to do these legends justice in this many words. ZOË RADAS LOVED: Meany. Like, I am in love. HATED: When it ended. DRANK: Cider.

Hearing Millions break into Those Girls took me back to 1996, upstairs at The Armadale Hotel, watching Snout bust out bass lines with power-pop grooves. The venue finally succumbed to an overpriced organic supermarket which heralded the death of ‘dollar pots’ and $2 basic spirits, but it is refreshing to see a love for clean, crisp pop grooves living on. These Brisbane boys are on the support circuit and finding their feet as an emerging group; receiving praise from spirited fans up and down the coast. Like most guys their age, they’ve got a thing for hot chicks and ‘phat’ rappers but witnessing Going Overseas and a cover of the Phil Spector-penned (The Ronettes performed), Be My Baby, conjured up visions of Dirty Dancing not Ol’ Dirty Bastard. In fact, dim the lights and launch the mirror ball, these guys are your prom-night specialists. Guru and Slow Burn further demonstrate their understanding of simple song structure and the dynamics of a friendly four-piece in the vein of Magic Numbers and Weezer. There’s no doubt girls will swoon and guys will flock to see Millions having fun on stage for some summers to come. A full-length release would intrigue. Headlining are Last Dinosaurs, another Brisbane band making rather large footprints in the landscape, as a dinosaur would. These guys are yet another act to be unearthed by those keen ‘archaeologists’, triple j. Straight off the bat, the sound is impressive; full and clean. It accentuates a tight repertoire that Last Dinosaurs have no doubt honed through numerous

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festivals and tours. Tonight’s sold out show builds around their debut album, In a Million Years. It’s easy to catch what these guys are throwing out with the jangling guitars and the up-tempo drumming. Time & Place is dedicated to scientist Nikola Tesla and sees added percussion from behind the keys. Its lyrics are delivered by the call and response vocals from Sean and Lachlan Caskey. Weekend is another cruisy, road-trip of a song with layered vocals and terrific use of keys. By the time Andy is performed one can’t help but hear definite associations with prominent New York indie-rock outfits such as The Strokes, Vampire Weekend or even The Rapture, when effects kick in. Sunday Night adopts similar calypso sounds that permeate throughout most tracks. It’s catchy and consistent yet lacks variety; the same tempo, the same vibe. No doubt Dew Process are preparing further onslaughts for these guys and mapping a promising future. Hopefully this helps to develop a more diverse sound and stronger live performance. JOHN DONALDSON

LOVED: Hearing Millions play with enthusiasm and just have fun. HATED: Seeing useless behind-the-head guitar tricks that missed the mark. DRANK: A bowl of chicken curry laksa at Bang Bang’s prior to show time.